By Dustin Rowles | TV | October 16, 2024 |
I have a personal rule that if I decide to review a series, I won’t stop watching it until I do. Sometimes, I’ll quit midway through an episode and write the review—like I did with the fifth episode of Grotesquerie—just so I don’t have to watch another one. But then there are shows like Murder in a Small Town. I’ve watched four episodes now, and the only reason I haven’t reviewed it yet is that I forget about it the second I turn it off until it pops up in my queue again the following week.
Based on the Alberg and Cassandra mystery novels by L.R. Wright, Murder in a Small Town is a Canadian murder mystery set in British Columbia, and that much is obvious from the outset. One might describe it as a cozy murder mystery, but I’d call it meek. It’s a murder show that someone seems determined to make as un-upsetting as possible. It’s practically a hug, albeit one with a dead body (always murdered off-screen). No wonder Canadians are so nice.
In fact, in an effort to keep it as soothing and homey as possible, the whole series is framed by the budding romance between the small-town sheriff, Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland), and the local librarian, Cassandra Lee (Smallville’s Kristin Kreuk). Because it’s a small town, Lee seems to have some connection to all the murderers or their victims, which creates the occasional conflict of interest between Lee and Alberg, who is basically a nice wool sweater with a beard that smells like sandalwood and a rolling fog.
There’s the town diner, the local busybody, and police officers who are all kind and competent. And somehow, this charming small town must also have the highest murder rate per capita in all of Canada, although even the murders are usually accidental, and it’s Alberg’s job to unravel the coverup. When the murderer is caught, they’re like, “Aw shucks. You got me,” as if they’re almost relieved to catch up on their reading in prison.
I honestly don’t have anything against Murder in a Small Town. It feels like one of those Acorn TV shows my wife watches on a tiny corner of her phone while she plays a mindless mobile game before falling asleep. The stakes are low (despite the murders). The people are kind. The sweaters are warm. It’s just not for me. If I want comfort TV, I’ll watch a Bill Lawrence comedy or even an episode of Law & Order. Even comfort TV should have more than a faint pulse.
‘Murder in a Small Town’ airs Tuesdays on Fox and the next day on Hulu.