'Whitstable Pearl' Returns for Season 3 in October 2024

According to the temperature readings, it may still be summer, but the Julian calendar does not lie: Sunday, September 22, was the autumnal equinox, which means we've reached the official first week of fall. Decorative gourds abound, the pumpkin spice must flow, and cozy mystery season is right around the corner. Get ready to don a heavy sweater, put on those wellies, and take your morning constitutional down to the beach as Acorn TV's Whitstable Pearl returns after a long absence. Kerry Godliman (Trigger Point) returns as the titular Pearl Nolan, retired-detective-turned-restauranteur and crime-solving enthusiast, teaming back up with Howard Charles (Top Boy) as DCI Mike McGuire for six new adventures.

The series originally debuted in 2021 as part of a new batch of female-detective-led series on Acorn TV, including The Madame Blanc Mysteries, Harry Wild, and My Life is Murder, with second seasons quickly greenlit to have them out by 2022. The latter two took off due to having leads recognizable to American audiences (Jane Seymour and Lucy Lawless, respectively); the former became a sleeper hit due to the French landscapes and antiques angle. However, Whitstable didn't have either hook; Godliman is not an American breakout star (yet), Charles is best known for the swiftly canceled Shadow & Bone, and Whitstable, though a coastal beach town, is not exactly the Mediterranean. (See aforementioned recommendation of wearing jumpers and wellies.)

However, Acorn TV believes in Whitstable Pearl, and after almost two years away, the series is finally heading back to streaming with a third season and, as the first image shows, a new look for the characters. Pearl Nolan looks more casual, having settled into Whitstable life, while McGuire has been getting healthier with a new style to match. (Charles' final appearance in Top Boy was a glow-up; the production decided to stick with it when he showed up for filming and wrote his new, svelter look into the series.)