The 'Art Detectives' Trailer Mixes Murder & Masterpieces

Acorn TV has released the first trailer for its upcoming cozy crime drama Art Detectives, and it seems apparent that no one is doing this particular subgenre like this streaming service. A destination for murder mysteries that boast both intriguingly offbeat premises and stars looking for a creative offramp into a different phase of their careers, Acorn's series are out here trying to find a way to give the people what they want in a way that doesn't simply repeat the same beats of the many (many!) other crime procedurals out there today.

Art Detectives stars former True Blood heartthrob Stephen Moyer as DI Mick Palmer, the latest in a long line of detective leads in British police procedurals who have jobs that sound like they might not quite be entirely real. Palmer heads the Heritage Crime Unit, a division dedicated to solving crimes connected to the arts and antiques world. If you are worried that such a tame-sounding departmental premise might mean Moyer won't be solving murders in the village like every other series lead in Acorn's line-up, never fear. It turns out that plenty of people are willing to kill over a priceless painting or risk it all to steal a historical artifact of some type.

Opposite Moyer, Nina Singh (The Lazarus Project) plays DC Shazia Malik, a less experienced officer whose straight-talking demeanor is clearly meant to balance her slightly oddball investigative partner's quirks. If the series' trailer is anything to go by, their chemistry is charming, and one has to assume both Malik and the audience watching along at home are about to get more than a few art history lessons along with all the dead bodies.