No stone will be left unturned, and no acorn unsprouted, on Acorn TV this October…
Historic murders, the series finale of a South African columnist cum detective and the return of one of the most popular murder-mystery series of all time are just the tip of the iceberg this month.
Check out Acorn TV’s October highlights, with the full schedule below!
Karen Pirie
Series 1, New Zealand Premiere Monday, October 10
In this Acorn TV Exclusive, when a historic murder at St Andrews Cathedral becomes the subject of a provocative true crime podcast, DS Karen Pirie (Lauren Lyle, Outlander, Vigil) is tasked with reopening the case. 25 years after Rosie Duff’s body was discovered by three drunken students, abandoned in the Cathedral grounds, no culprit was found. Will DS Pirie bring the killer to justice at long last?
Interrogating the past, Karen uncovers shocking fresh evidence and potential leads, but the cold case becomes a live investigation when suspects start to come under attack. Is someone willing to risk everything for revenge or to actively obstruct the course of justice to keep secrets surrounding this case hidden? Or will Karen finally find Rosie’s killer before it’s too late?
Recipes for Love and Murder
Series 1, Final Episodes Premiere Monday, October 3
This Acorn TV Original, based on Sally Andrew’s acclaimed, bestselling “A Tannie Maria Mystery” novels, is a dangerously delicious drama following advice columnist, Tannie Maria (Maria Purvis), who dishes out guidance and tasty recipes for a small-town newspaper in the vibrant region of the Karoo, South Africa. Things take an unexpected turn when a correspondent who writes to Maria about her abusive husband is found dead. Maria’s worlds collide as she begins working through her own mysterious past trying to solve the case. She joins forces with a local, risk-taking, rookie journalist – and sometimes rival – Jessie September (Kylie Fisher), to investigate the murder and catch the killer, before the local police find more victims. But will they make too many enemies in the process and risk the perpetrator catching them first?
Midsomer Murders
Series 22, Premieres Monday, October 17
One of the most popular and longest-running mystery series of all-time, Midsomer Murders remains a flagship Acorn TV staple and fan favourite.
In the latest series, Midsomer continues to see the homicides, blackmail, greed, and betrayal we’ve come to expect from England’s most murderous county. Detective Chief Inspector Barnaby (Neil Dudgeon, Life of Riley) and Detective Sergeant Winter (Nick Hendrix, Marcella) face unusual cases including a violent death linked to a viral meme, a murder mystery weekend that becomes all too real when a participant is impaled by a life-size Egyptian figure and a body discovered in a treasure chest during a local production of The Pirates of Penzance.
Acorn TV Full October Schedule
Monday, October 3
Recipes for Love and Murder, Series 1
(EPS 9 & 10 of 10)
EP9: Scrambled Eggs
Maria tries to retrace Jessie’s steps, while the police try to track down her cousin. We finally find out who kidnapped Jessie, and we see that she wounded him when she tried to escape but was shot down. When Maria is caught by the killer he has an unusual request – he likes his steak medium rare. The police also figure out who the killer is, but are they too late?
EP10: I Only Wanted Advice Tannie
Maria escapes from the killer, as the police close in. In a chilling confrontation, the killer is shot and killed. A desperate search ensues for Jessie, and just when all hope is fading, Regardt finds her. An emotional Maria and Khaya finally allow themselves some time to connect, as Jessie reunites with her family.
Five Days to Midnight, Full Series Binge
(5 EPS, 2004)
Starring Academy Award® winner Timothy Hutton (Secret Window) and Academy Award® nominee Randy Quaid (Home on the Range), Five Days to Midnight begins at the end and slowly unravels. Hutton stars as “J.T. Neumeyer,” a brilliant physics professor who receives a police file from the future, with explicit details of a gruesome murder –his own. Complete with photos of his corpse and a list of suspects, the file indicates that the murder will take place in five days. Sceptical at first, when real-life events begin to mirror those in the report, J.T. realises the file is real and time is quickly running out. He has only days to solve the mystery of his own murder… and hopefully change the course of his destiny.
Monday, October 10
Karen Pirie, S1
(EP1 of 3, 2022)
St Andrews, 1996. Three drunken students stumble upon the body of a young woman, assaulted and left for dead in the Cathedral grounds. The only suspects are the three students stained with her blood. 25 years later, Rosie’s murder has become the subject of a provocative true crime podcast and DS Karen Pirie is unexpectedly put in charge of the case. It becomes increasingly apparent that Rosie harboured a secret that could unlock the mysteries surrounding the case. When new evidence emerges implicating one of the students, Karen hunts down the suspect to get their version of the story.
Aurora Teagarden Mysteries, Movies
(9-11, 2018 & 2019)
9: The Disappearing Game
Crime-solving librarian Aurora Teagarden leaps headfirst into Lawrenceton’s latest murder investigation when her nephew Phillip and his college roommate go missing, after the roommate’s girlfriend is found dead. Enlisting the help of her Real Murders Club pals and the handsome college professor Nick Miller who just moved in across the street from her, Aurora uncovers a kidnapping plot gone awry.
10: A Game of Cat and Mouse
Aurora faces a cat-and-mouse game with a mysterious criminal who leaves enigmatic clues behind, deliberately taunting her.
11: An Inheritance to Die For
A wedding reception derails when the bride’s aunt collapses and later dies. Aurora is certain she didn’t die of natural causes and there is no shortage of suspects among the bridal party and guests.
Monday, October 17
Karen Pirie, S1
(EP2 of 3, 2022)
With the suspects under attack, Karen’s case has become a live investigation overnight. But is Ziggy’s death a revenge killing, or is Rosie’s killer out to silence the truth? Either way, finding his killer could be her best hope yet of solving the case. In 1996, the discovery of an abandoned car leads to an arrest, but with a lack of evidence, the investigation flounders – until a potential eye-witness brings DI Maclennannew hope. Exploiting the contacts of her best friend River, Karen makes a shocking discovery.
Maria Kallio, S1 Full Season Binge
(10 EPS, 2021)
Exhausted from her studies and one final exam away from her degree, police officer and lawyer Maria Kallio accepts a temporary position as the lead of the Western Uusimaa police murder squad. Maria is quick and certain in her decisions, but decision-making in her personal life is a different story. She faces the typical 30-something dilemmas of a modern woman, juggling her passion for work and home, sometimes forgetting the passion in her private life.
Midsomer Murders, S22 Full Series Binge
(6 EPS, 2021)
In this beloved British mystery set in England’s most murderous county, DCI John Barnaby and DS Jamie Winter investigate all new cases including an urban myth turned deadly and a series of suspicious deaths within a post-operative rehab club.
Monday, October 24
Karen Pirie, S1
(EP3 of 3, 2022)
Damning forensic evidence leads to a shock arrest and Karen brings the suspect in for questioning. But with only 24 hours to build a case, is time running out? Bel’s call-out on the podcast brings forward an eyewitness whose testimony leads Karen and Murray to a horrifying possibility. With a new lead to pursue that could change the course of the entire investigation, Karen is forced to confront a version of the truth she’d never thought possible. With everything at stake, will she finally find Rosie’s killer and achieve justice after 25 years?
Arthur Hailey’s Detective, Miniseries
(2 EPS, 2006)
Detective Sergeant Malcolm Ainslie (Golden Globe winner Tom Berenger, Platoon), a Catholic priest turned distinguished homicide investigator for the Miami police, has been summoned to hear the confession of Elroy Doil. The convicted serial killer — who Ainslie himself was responsible for catching – is scheduled to be executed the following morning. Suspected of the string of murders but convicted on only one count, Doil wants to come clean and reveal everything he knows. Ainslie can’t refuse: the crimes, committed four years before, still sear his memory.
Monday, October 31
The Fixer, Miniseries
(2 EPS, 2015)
Suspicious of the official answers to an oil rig disaster, Ellie Molaro (Kathleen Robertson), an investigator with the National Accident Investigation Agency, spearheads a private investigation with a secret tipster named Donovan Carter (Eric Dane). With only one witness and no information left on the ship’s hard drive, Molaro starts to suspect this is much more than a tragic disaster.
