Fox’s new mystery drama Small Town premieres on Tuesday, September 24th.
It is adapted from L.R. Wright’s nine-book series and tells the story of detective Carl Ahlberg, who hopes to escape his life as a city cop for a quieter coastal life, but still discovers more in the small town of secrets and murder.
Rossif Sutherland plays Carl Ahlberg, and Kristin Kreuk plays local librarian Cassandra Mitchell, Ahlberg’s love interest and muse.
TV Fanatic had the pleasure of chatting with Sutherland and Crook, who shared their passion for the show and what sets it apart from other crime procedurals.
Both actors said that while the cases each week are interesting, the appeal of the series will be the development of Carl and Cassandra’s relationship. We can’t wait to see that flower.
Check out the interview below:
So, when you booked Small Town Murders , how familiar were you with the Carl Ahlberg and Cassandra mystery series?
Christine: You know, I’m not. These books are from the 1980s, so they are not new.
However, I am familiar with this project because two producers came to me in 2021 and asked if I would like to come on board as a producer. I was busy at the time so I declined, but that’s how I knew. I don’t know anything else.
Rossif: I don’t know what kind of book there is. I knew they were books, so I read a few quickly before the audition.
Then I discovered that my father, the late Donald Sutherland, had been involved in the scheme 30 years earlier. So, I went in very ignorantly, but later I got a lot of information. But they are lovely books. They read very quickly.
Christine: They are releasing them again.
What is it about each of your characters that is so appealing?
Christine: I like Cassandra because she is very introverted. She knows who she is. She knows what she wants. She has always pursued her ambitions. She focuses on community and community health.
She chose to remain single for a long time. She hasn’t been through a lot of relationships and I love that she chooses herself and chooses to pursue her dreams. She’s funny, charming, quirky, and I love her.
Rossif: I grew up watching Columbo. I’ve always loved this jovial guy who walks into a room and doesn’t quite know what he’s going to say or do, but all the while, he’s smarter than everyone else.
Although Carl Aberg was no Colombo, they shared qualities in that he was a people person. He was curious.
He has an instinct for people, and I loved playing a detective who’s not someone who’s trying to intimidate people, and I got to play an American cop who doesn’t like his gun.
Overall he’s a good guy. He also has the vulnerability of a man who wears his heart on his sleeve. Yet, he is the boss, the policeman, in a position of power and intimidation.
I loved being able to play what I consider to be a modern person, a vulnerable person, and not feel embarrassed about recognizing the power of an open book.
That’s what he’s trying to do in his relationship with Christine’s character, because that’s why his marriage failed. There was silence, the silence was over.
So, what can you tease about Carl and Cassandra’s relationship? Especially when they blend work with play, what will the dynamic look like?
Christine: There are some similarities between Karl and Cassandra. They have beautiful, heart-warming moments and a lot of conflict.
Having a partner whose career is in law enforcement also inevitably comes with its difficulties. Cassandra must confront some of Carl’s past. It ends up being beautiful, funny, sad, and threatening. A lot happened.
Rossif: She was a charm to him. She was his unsolvable mystery, the woman he loved madly and passionately. He could imagine living with her, but the dilemma was how they could make that happen. I don’t know if I answered your question.
You did it. I can’t wait to see this. From what I’ve seen so far, you have wonderful chemistry.
So far, the series looks more like a mystery than a whodunnit. They seem to have known the killer from the beginning, but they’re trying to figure out a motive.
Rossif: I agree with you.
Will this continue?
Christine: The show revolves more around detective stories. The cause unit has several aspects.
I think the motivations of these murderers or perpetrators are important because it’s not just the murderers. You don’t always know who he is, but sometimes you do. So, it’s a mixture. Each episode will be structured slightly differently.
Rossif: Regardless of their order, you’ll always know the motivation. This is the commonality. We want to know why people do what they do.
In some shows, you don’t really learn who did it until near the end. There’s no one set formula for storytelling, at least not yet.
Christine: Each episode has a different energy because each crime is different. Guest stars bring a whole new flavor to these episodes and bring a lot of freshness to them.
Rossif: They exist as independent entities. The thread between them is largely the relationship between the two characters.
I don’t want to say tug of war, but they’re trying to negotiate how to make their separate, complex lives work so that they can be together.
He was a recently divorced man with two teenage daughters, while she was an independent woman who didn’t particularly imagine living with a father and a police officer. But love makes her not want to run away.
It is this fragile thing that we are trying to protect. This is one aspect of this story that leaves much to be desired: trying to define what love means when you’re halfway through life and want the other person to feel complete and fulfilled, but not alone.
It’s truly fascinating. I can’t wait to see more. The series includes nine books. Do you know how loyal they’re going to be and how many people they might reach in season one?
Rossif: Lead author Ian Weir has been closely associated with these books for 30 years. He knew the writer and the family of the estate. Everyone is still very engaged.
This is not a carbon copy. But it was definitely inspired by it. We stay close to the spirit of the show and who these characters are. We only have nine books, but I think we’ve used six. If we do this again we will run out of material. We will transform these characters into something that is not yet on paper.
Sounds interesting. For our last question, why do you think audiences will love Small Town Murders?
Christine: People will like it for several reasons. For anyone who loves murder mysteries, this is a no-brainer. It’s a show made for them, but I think it’s about the characters, the love story, and the town itself.
This is the beating heart behind the murder. I think that’s what’s special about this show. That’s what makes it unique and will keep people coming back.
Rossif: It’s almost bedtime now and won’t keep you awake. It won’t bother you. It will make you happy.
We hope you’re resting on your pillow thinking about these characters you’ve fallen in love with, and we’ll be back next week with more entertainment for you.
But it’s not here to bother you. It’s not meant to be about people’s psychology, like there are monsters all around us. This is not an exercise we are doing.
We try to understand what makes a good person do bad things.
What makes them less than nice and yet do a terrible thing? Does that make them scary? I’m not sure.
But we’re not here to bother people. This is not a story led by these very dark and troubled characters. So in that sense it’s very different from a lot of TV crime shows.
It’s about another generation of entertainment with shows like Columbo. There’s a warmth in it, a bit absurd, that defines both warmth and crime. Its hot chocolate is spiked with whiskey.
Judging from the advanced screens we’ve seen, you’re going to enjoy Small Town Murders as much as these two do.
“Murder in the Town” will premiere on Fox on Tuesday, September 24 at 8/7c.
Please come back here after reading our review.
