Acorn TV has set the return date for Season 3 of the fan-favorite mystery-crime drama series, The Chelsea Detective. Check out the trailer.
Hooray! The Chelsea Detective, one of my favorite shows (and maybe one of yours, too) will be back soon with three new feature-length episodes in Season 3, which kicked off with the Christmas special that debuted back in December 2024.
All of the regular cast are returning, including series lead Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, The King’s Speech, 1917) as DI Max Arnold, the titular character, and Vanessa Emme (Dublin Murders, Three Families) as DS Layla Walsh, Max’s work partner — a terrific detective duo that delves into the darker side of Chelsea that lurks beneath the glossy façade of London’s wealthiest and most affluent borough.
Also back are Sophie Stone (Shetland) as Chief Forensics Officer Ashley Wilton, Lucy Phelps (Grace) as research and tech queen DC Jess Lombard, Peter Bankolé (Peaky Blinders) as DC Connor Pollock, Frances Barber (Whitstable Pearl) as Max’s Aunt Olivia, and Anamaria Marinca (Temple) as Astrid, Max’s wife, from whom he is separated.
First up amongst the new episodes is “Deadlock,” which guest stars SAG® Award winner Alex Kingston (A Discovery of Witches, Doctor Who, ER) as US Ambassador Emily Morgan. The story opens with Max and Layla racing to an allotment, where a dead body was dug up from a garden plot. After Ashley reconstructs the dead man’s likeness, the team pieces together the final days of ex-soldier Jerome Singer’s life. Their investigation takes them on a confounding journey — from the World’s End estate, via a botanical garden, to the opulent home of the US Ambassador, where they face the rule and might of the US Embassy, as it seeks to protect one of its own, all while Max and Layla work to bring a killer to justice.
In “Myths and Legends,” antiques dealer Niall Hammond is found dead in his shop, and Max and Layla begin a curious case that finds them investigating a prestigious music society and mudlarks on the Thames foreshore. When it comes to light that Niall had recently bought a rare gold coin valued at one million pounds, the team suspect someone murdered him for it. But as secrets and lies in Niall’s family life emerge, they realize that many people had reason to lash out and kill the victim. In order to catch the culprit, Max and Layla will need to determine what’s real and what’s fake.
And closing Season 3 is the episode “For the Greater Good,” in which climate scientist Archie Draper is found dead in the boot of a stolen car. With the owner of the car and the teenagers who stole it seemingly having no connection to Archie, Max and the team are left puzzled. Archie had been preparing for an upcoming conference on climate change at the British Geographical Society, leaving Max and Layla to wonder if he was planning to say anything contentious. But surprising connections and a conspiracy of lies are gradually uncovered, all of which will lead them to a shocking revelation.
Meanwhile, things between Max and Astrid might be looking up (?). After separating and Max moving to a houseboat on the Thames, and all of their subsequent ups and downs, the two are now trying couples therapy in a bid to revive their relationship and unpack where it all went wrong for them.
The Chelsea Detective: Season 3, an Acorn TV Original Series, returns to the US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand on Monday, April 7, with “Deadlock,” exclusively on Acorn TV. “Myths and Legends” premieres on April 14, followed by “For the Greater Good” on April 21.
The series is created and executive produced by Emmy® Award-winning Peter Fincham (The Lost Prince, Smack the Pony, I’m Alan Partridge), produced by Lauriel Martin (Dodger, Smothered), and executive produced by Ella Kelly (Death in Paradise, Midsomer Murders). The three new episodes are written by Glen Laker (Vera, Prime Suspect), Debbie Oates and Ian Kershaw (Cold Feet, Medici), and Nicola Wilson (Call the Midwife, Good Karma Hospital). The directors are Jennie Darnell (Payback, Trigger Point) and Richard Signy (Death in Paradise, Silent Witness).
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