Small Town Murders is an ideal cozy suspense drama, but if it got a second season, it could improve in a few areas.
Even though Fox airs the show in the United States, the show feels like a Canadian procedural, but with a twist. The series stars famous Canadian actors and was filmed primarily in Gibsons, the show’s namesake location.
The show usually takes the format of a murder of the week, rather than lingering cases throughout the season. It has been compared to classics like Murder, She Wrote and Columbo.
While the show is entertaining, there are some issues that Global Network and Fox must resolve before they can be renewed for a second season.
Adjusting source materials to allow the case to breathe easier
Book-to-screen adaptations, especially of mystery procedurals, are often challenging when the series strives to cover an overlapping theme and case of the week. They also need to balance character dynamics and relationships.
While some book-to-screen adaptations look similar, others are only loosely inspired but retain the core of the source material.
Even so, it often upsets die-hard fans of the book series.
I’m used to the fan noise about Small Town Murders and Will Trent , both of which are also loosely based on a series of mystery novels.
Small Town Murders needs to take a page from Will Trent and liven up some of its storylines. There’s no reason to cram an entire novel into one episode when the storyline can be spread out over several episodes.
Each mystery feels rushed, as it’s solved in about 44 minutes. This doesn’t leave a lot of time to flesh out the subplots, so there’s still a lot of information to delve into, even from the books they cover.
If “Little Town” gets a second season, they only have three LRs they haven’t adapted from Wright’s novels yet – “Strangers Among Us,” “Mother’s Love,” and “The Act of Murder.”
This makes things more challenging unless they flesh out each book in a few episodes or negotiate with the Wright family to create new storylines.
Involve the Wright family in the storyline to ensure accuracy
Series writer Ian Weir has known the Wright family for many years and worked tirelessly to bring Karl Alberg’s suspense novels written in the 1980s into the modern day.
This was before online dating apps and cell phones, but the story remained intact.
LR Wright’s daughters, Katey and Joanna, are enthusiastic about the show and are excited that producer Nick Orchard knows their mother.
Since it’s a family affair, Katie plays motel maid Ruth in the third episode of Season 1 of Small Town Murders.
Both had direct knowledge of their mother’s novels and were able to assist in adapting the material in her honor. They love it so far and think she’ll love it too.
Putting Carl and Cassandra’s romance first
Carl and Cassandra’s romance is the best part of the series.
“Small Town” took a huge risk with “Knocked Up” and had Gordon Murphy kidnap Cassandra. She was so traumatized that it may have damaged her relationship with Carl.
While the couple needed some inner drama, it might have been a bit too much, but if the series time-jumped to another book, they might have been happy again and we’d have missed the two’s reconciliation. That’s just as bad.
We get to witness Carl and Cassandra’s little moments and remain committed to their happiness.
Enrich supporting roles
Aside from Carl, most of the other characters needed to be fleshed out more. Small Town Murders does a great job of establishing his character, his motivations for moving to a quieter town, and introducing his daughters.
It also began building Cassandra as it sparked her passion for working with books and art.
However, this is still surface level compared to Carr’s development, which is disappointing since she’s the show’s co-star.
Aside from Phyllis, Cassandra doesn’t have much of a support system.
The series still doesn’t introduce her mother, which is disappointing since her mother was a big reason for her return to Gibsons and a bigger part of the book series.
The rest of the supporting cast could use a little more work. The show begins to flesh out Sid’s character by introducing his wife and developing a friendship with Carl.
But what makes Sid tick? Why is he more excited about his job now?
Novices are least developed. The show tries to make Donnie Yen and Isabella relatable, but there’s only so much time to focus on them in each episode.
Andy Kendrick seems out of place for much of the plot, although his burgeoning friendship with Corporal Yan is interesting. He needs more guidance, but he’s not a bad cop.
small town murder front
We don’t want to sound negative. Small Town Murders has a lot going for it.
Few TV series have had a pair of protagonists emerge so prominently and so quickly. This allows fans to invest in Carl and Cassandra’s future and how they will navigate these cases and drama together.
Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kruek have a compelling connection. Although she has played the leading role many times, this is her first time starring in a series.
However, he is ruggedly handsome, romantic, and perfectly paired with the ferocity of Cassandra (Crooke).
Sutherland’s instant connection with co-star Aaron Douglas (Sgt. Sid Sokolowski) also worked in their favor, as the two became fast friends on and off screen.
Douglas discovered that Sutherland liked pigs, so he hid a small rubber pig in his jacket on set as a prank.
We need more of these humorous moments on screen to balance out the serious drama.
While I wish these cases were better developed, each episode features a new case, allowing viewers to watch the show at any time or when their favorite actors make cameos.
Yes, “Murder in the Town” does a great job of bringing in big-name Canadian stars for cameos.
These include James Cromwell, Stana Katic, Erica Durance and Devin Sawa.
What are your thoughts, TV Fanatics? Do you want to watch Small Town Season 2?
How would you improve the series? What do you like best about it?
We’d love to hear your thoughts, so drop us a line in the comments.
Watch Small Town Murders online
