Acorn TV February 2022 Highlights

Episode 1 Premieres Monday, 7 February 2022

Episode 2 Premieres Monday, 14 February 2022

Episode 3 Premieres Monday, 21 February 2022

Episode 4 Premieres Monday, 28 February 2022

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Series 1

NZ PREMIERE

ACORN TV ORIGINAL

Adrian Scarborough (Killing Eve, Gavin & Stacey, The King's Speech, 1917) takes the lead in this brand-new Acorn TV Original drama created and co-written by Peter Fincham.

Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Scarborough) lives on a houseboat on the Thames, in Chelsea, after separating from his art dealer wife Astrid (Anamaria Marinca – 4 Months, 3 Weeks, and 2 Days; Sex Traffic), just yards from some of the most valuable real estate in Europe. The beautiful borough is full of beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deprivation, violence, greed – and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem, but Max’s determination and acuity mean he’ll find a way to root out the truth and bring those responsible to justice – regardless of their wealth or status.

DC Arnold and his trusty colleague Streatham-born D.C. Priya Shamsie, played by Sonita Henry (Luther, Krypton) investigate a slew of enthralling cases from the strange to the complex including the death of a lonely stonemason on the London Underground which, at first, seems like a real life haunting to Max. Might a more down-to-earth explanation be found as they uncover the truth about his life?

Episodes 1 – 4 AVAILABLE TO STREAM NOW

Episodes 5 & 6 Premiere Monday, 7 February 2022

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES, Series 1

NZ PREMIERE

ACORN TV ORIGINAL

“Witty, feelgood fare.” Daily Telegraph

A brand new six-part series created by and starring former Coronation Street favourite Sally Lindsay.

Jean White (Lindsay, Mount Pleasant), a renowned and respected antique dealer, is running a successful business in leafy Cheshire with her husband, Rory (Peter Gaynor, Vikings). When we meet her on a rainy Manchester morning, she is overcome with grief. Rory has tragically died on his way home from their vintage treasure-trove stomping grounds in the South of France. Things take a darker turn when she discovers that along with her husband, all their money has disappeared, their shop has been re-mortgaged and their assets have been pawned off.

With the final thousands in their joint account spent on Rory’s funeral, Jean’s life is set adrift... until her solicitor informs her of one thing her beloved did not sell: their cottage in French antiques hub, Saint Victoire. Jean sets off for the South of France to investigate Rory's mysterious death.

Monday, 28 February 2022

CRACKER, Series 3

“Compared with most television crime investigators, Fitz is still the king” - New York Times

“The show’s enduring success comes down to two elements —gifted writer Jimmy McGovern, and perfect casting in Robbie Coltrane” - Empire

In the third and final season of this thrilling, psychological drama, the brash and brilliant forensic psychologist, Dr Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter, Ocean's Twelve) returns with his astonishing and invaluable insights into the criminal mind. Unfortunately, his arrogance and boorishness make him barely tolerable as a colleague and for his family, Fitz's self-destructive compulsions - scotch, women, and gambling - bring only pain and turmoil.

Fitz becomes the target of a secret admirer who is willing to kill – and keep killing – to get his attention, understanding and love, throwing his personal life into disarray when his admirer targets his son, Mark.

With more than 25 major awards including BAFTAs for Best Drama series and Best Actor, Cracker ranks as one of British television's most acclaimed crime series.

FULL SCHEDULE – FEBRUARY 2022

Monday, 7 February

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Series 1, Episode 1

NZ PREMIERE; ACORN TV ORIGINAL

In episode 1, stonemason Andrew Knightley is pushed under a London Underground train during the morning rush hour. As DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) investigates, he builds a picture of a lonely, devout, and troubled man who believed himself to be haunted by a spirit leaving him vengeful biblical messages. However, the killer is definitely flesh and blood.

RECTIFY, Series 4

Daniel Holden (Aden Young) returns to his small hometown in Georgia after serving 19 years on death row. Having spent his entire adult life waiting to die, Daniel must now try to find a way to cope with his past and forge a ‘normal’ life with a future before him. In its final season, Rectify endures as a vital and compelling drama, poignantly driven by a narrative that envelops its characters in complexity, humanity, and a bittersweet beauty. (8 EPS, 2016)

THE MADAME BLANC MYSTERIES, Episodes 5 & 6

NZ PREMIERE; ACORN TV ORIGINAL

In episode 5, the local priest is murdered in his church and it seems there’s no way the killer could have escaped unseen. Jean has her suspicions, but as the accusations fly, will she be able to make the real killer confess?

In episode 6, with Dom’s wife suddenly back in town and a buyer found for the cottage, Jean prepares to say goodbye to Saint Victoire. However, someone else would like the final word, as Madame Blanc’s identity is finally revealed. Will Jean finally discover the truth?

TAGGART, Series 10

DS Taggart (Mark McManus) has to adjust to a new boss at the start of Season 10. Events are complicated further when a prosecution witness escapes custody and Taggart comes under fire. Later in the season, Jim is reunited with his former partner, DS Peter Livingstone (Neil Duncan), and investigates a bizarre case involving a fertility clinic. (3 EPS, 1994)

THE GOOD KARMA HOSPITAL, Series 3

A medical drama about a junior doctor who becomes disillusioned with her life and broken relationship, deciding to leave the UK. Seeing an advertisement for a hospital job in south India, she travels there hoping to make a fresh start and finds herself working at The Good Karma Hospital, an under-resourced and overworked cottage hospital. In series 3 it’s as busy as ever, with several big new arrivals causing a stir as the team faces their most shocking case yet. (6 EPS, 2019)

Monday, 14 February

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Series 1, Episode 2

NZ PREMIERE; ACORN TV ORIGINAL

In episode 2, Robyn Romano, social media sensation and wife of restauranteur Julia Romano is reported missing. As the race to

find Robyn alive is transformed into a murder investigation, Max (Adrian Scarborough) must explore the turbulent personal and business lives of the Romano clan. This combustible mixture of longstanding family tensions and disagreements over the running of their eponymous Chelsea eatery will help Max uncover how Robyn Romano met her fate – a revelation about the limits of family loyalty that will strike deep at the heart of the Romano family and brand.

POLDARK, SERIES 3

A British period drama series based on the novels of the same name by Winston Graham, Series 3 covers the events of the fifth and sixth novels, The Black Moon and The Four Swans. Set in 1794-1795 the series deals with the arrival of a new family, new romance, new battles and the French Revolution casting a shadow over Cornwall. (9 EPS, 2017)

TAGGART, Series 11

Superintendent McVitie is taken to hospital with a heart attack after a heated argument with Taggart. A young girl who attends a hypnotist's show is found drowned shortly afterwards, leaving the hypnotist’s career in tatters. Meanwhile, Jardine and Reid investigate a killing in a country house swimming pool. One of the victims is Rick Mulvey, former lead guitar of the 60s pop group, the Adders. (3 EPS, 1995)

Monday, 21 February

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Series 1, Episode 3

NZ PREMIERE; ACORN TV ORIGINAL

In episode 3, a well-liked local security guard is found stabbed to death on a patch of waste ground, leaving behind his terminally ill

wife. Is it possible that this pillar of the community was killed in a drug deal gone wrong, as the evidence initially suggests? Max (Adrian Scarborough) and Priya (Sonita Henry, Krypton) soon discover that the victim is not the gentle giant he seemed but a man with an unsavoury past filled with violence, racism and hooliganism, and that his death is the latest tragedy in a decades-old cycle of violence.

TAGGART, Series 12

When a clever lawyer gains an acquittal for his client on an apparently straightforward murder charge, the team are compelled to restart the investigation from scratch – but then the killing starts again. A petty thief tries to plea-bargain with some new evidence in the case, while Reid uncovers a blackmail scheme which may have led to murder. (3 EPS, 1996)

Monday, 28 February

THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE, Series 1, Episode 4

NZ PREMIERE; ACORN TV ORIGINAL

In episode 4, at first glance, Pete Gowie – devoted family man, respected educator, all round good guy – seems like an unlikely murder victim, until he’s found in a pool of blood, having been bludgeoned to death in his own study. But scratch the surface and it turns out there’s no shortage of suspects, ranging from his own wife to feuding colleagues, a vengeful ex-pupil to disgruntled parents and a rather too familiar family cleaner. However, the truth Max (Adrian Scarborough) uncovers will be even more unexpected and poignant.

CRACKER, Series 3

The brash and brilliant forensic psychologist, Dr. Edward "Fitz" Fitzgerald (Robbie Coltrane, Harry Potter, Ocean's Twelve) is back for a third series with his astonishing insights into the criminal mind proving invaluable, but his arrogance and boorishness make him barely tolerable as a colleague. For his family, Fitz's self-destructive compulsions - scotch, women, and gambling - bring only pain and turmoil. (7 EPS, 1995)

TAGGART, Series 13

A series of bizarre murders of opponents and ex-members of a religious cult have the team baffled. Each murder follows the biblical plagues of Egypt, which according to the Book of Revelation will precede Armageddon. There are more than fifty members of the cult, most of whom would kill if asked to do so by the cult leader, David Burns. Who is responsible for that? (2 EPS, 1997)

CANDICE RENOIR, Series 3

French police officer Commandant Candice Renoir (Cecile Bois) and her team are back solving crimes in the south of France. Candice is a mother of four, divorced, and her daily routine is divided between solving crimes, fending off disagreements with her much younger female superior officer and getting her kids to school. A funny and witty series with plenty of French charm and elan. (10 EPS, 2021)

About Acorn TV: for those after a Brit-fix, AMC Networks’ Acorn TV carefully curates a world-class library of captivating crime thrillers, addictive dramas and intriguing mysteries to offer Kiwi audiences instant access to their favourite British and international shows all in the one place. As North America’s most popular streaming service for a largely British slate of television, the service includes longstanding favourites such as Midsomer Murders, Cold Feet, Doc Martin and Father Ted with new shows, like the BBC1 hit Anthony, released every week. Acorn TV offers a free trial and thereafter monthly and annual subscriptions cost just $7.99 and $79.99 respectively. Website: Acorn.TV

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