On September 24, 2024, Fox premiered 'Murder in a Small Town', which has earned predominantly positive reviews from critics. In the series, "Karl Alberg moves to the idyllic coastal town of Gibsons to become the new police chief and soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work. Unfortunately, the gentle paradise has more than its share of secrets, and Karl needs to call upon all the skills that made him a world-class detective in solving the murders that, even in this seemingly idyllic setting, continue to wash up on his shore. Cassandra, a local librarian, becomes Alberg's muse, foil and romantic interest. The show is based on the Edgar Award-winning, nine-book "Karl Alberg" series by acclaimed novelist L.R. Wright." The ensemble cast includes Rossif Sutherland, Kristin Kreuk, Mya Lowe, and Aaron Douglas. But what did the critics say?
Rory Doherty of Paste Magazine says, "Murder in a Small Town hits its marks, with a likeable cast and a welcome emphasis on the dynamics between the outsider detective and the local suspects, but refuses to transcend the modest ambitions of your garden variety network mystery series." Adding, "It’s difficult to tell if each of this season’s eight episodes will adapt a different one of Wright’s novels; she only wrote nine of them, so Murder in a Small Town will have to get creative fast if that’s the case. Of course, it’s impossible, to a frustrating degree, to judge if the Karl Alberg mysteries is a well-structured and formatted season of television because we were only allowed to see a single episode, and therefore we’re reluctant to recommend the series beyond this single entertaining hour of drama. If head writer and executive producer Ian Weir makes the series as actor-focused as the slight but charming first episode, then audiences who want to solve crimes and switch their brain off should be thrilled. Thrilled might be the wrong word—they’ll feel a warm, pleasant glow."
 |
| Photo by Georgia Vagim on Unsplash |
Devan Suber of AV Club notes, "If it’s a little obvious in its intentions, it’s just a simple pleasure to be around these actors for an hour or so. And frankly, that’s its own kind of achievement." Continuing, "Murder In A Small Town doesn’t aim for the depth of the greatest procedurals, but it has enough low-key dramatics and small-town charm to keep us interested. That said, there is an edge that pops up in the back half of the show’s 90-minute premiere that throws a moral dilemma into the proceedings. As it stands now, it’s not entirely clear whether the series is building a season-long arc or planning to be something like a new Castle, an episode-of-the-week show that’s powered by a will-they-won’t-they (and one that, like that ABC mystery, also features Stana Katic). There are enough ingredients in both the cast and the setting to make for a pretty good small-town drama, and the nebulously Canadian backdrop is a refreshing change from all of the shows that have tried to cast that country as America. The comparatively sunny tone helps, too, though there is a feeling of not wanting to get too dark even as it alludes to, say, histories of domestic abuse."
Rob Owen of Pittsburgh Tribune-Review was less impressed, calling it a, "Dull crime procedural based on the Karl Alberg book series by author L.R. Wright. Karl (Rossif Sutherland) moves to a seaside village to get away from big-city police work and falls for a local librarian (Kristin Kreuk) while investigating local crimes."
No comments:
Post a Comment