Acorn TV Rides 'Harry Wild's Debut into "Murder Mystery May"

It's no secret that AMC Networks, the parent company that owns AMC+, BBC America, Shudder, Sundance Now, Acorn TV, and several others, is not performing well in the current phase of the streaming wars. The only owner of multiple streaming services not to roll up all its offerings into a single general interest subscription, the once-proud purveyor of prestige TV back when everything was all still on cable, tried to make a go of it by offering super niche offerings at low prices, hoping to be able to persuade enough fans to sign up, and cross promote programming when it could be filed under multiple services. On the one hand, this was probably the right move; had Paramount left itself in pieces-parts instead of rolling up into Paramount+, it might have lasted longer. However, it does mean AMCN has successful niche offerings (Acorn TV, Shudder, AMC+) and some that are not (everything else).

Of Acorn TV's offerings, Harry Wild is the most successful on every axis. Starring Jane Seymour, well known in America from Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman, as the titular retired English teacher Harry, the series includes found family, amateur detectives, cases of the week, and a delightful ensemble of characters fans love spending time with. Harry Wild has become so popular that Acorn TV used the Season 3 premiere in 2024 to launch its new branding rollout; for Season 4, Harry Wild will be used as the tentpole debut to support Acorn TV's newest event: Murder Mystery May.

The idea of Murder Mystery May isn't a bad one; cozy crime shows are one of the U.K.'s biggest exports, and there's plenty of it on Acorn TV to support such an endeavor. However, "Murder Mystery May" sounds like it will be a whole month of debuts. While there will be new episodes of shows that launched in February, March, and April, as well as a few films imported from Shudder, only Harry Wild and the Irish dual-language drama Boglands/Cra are technically May 2025 arrivals.

As part of the press release, Dan McDermott, President of Entertainment and AMC Studios for AMC Networks, said, 

“Acorn TV has long been the go-to streaming home for international mystery lovers, offering the best in crime thrillers, killer dramas, murder mysteries and more. With our inaugural Murder Mystery May, fans will have an opportunity to dive into all things mystery, visiting crime scenes across the globe. We’re bringing the programming our fans love to the next level with nonstop new and returning series and films, giving viewers fresh new mysteries to tune into every week. With backdrops ranging from the scenic to the gritty, audiences will not only get their mystery fix all month-long, but also enjoy being transported to new locations with each new episode.”

Acorn TV's Murder Mystery May will include the May 5th double episode debut of Harry Wild, new episodes of Murdoch Mysteries Season 18 (which have been debuting since February 2025), The Chelsea Detective (which technically wraps up with its final episode of Season 3 in April), The Brokenwood Mysteries Season 11 and The One that Got Away/Cleddau (which technically start in April's final week). It will also include multiple shows that debuted on sister streaming services Sundance, IFC, Shudder, and AMC+, and are now transferring to Acorn TV, including the recent series White Lies, as well as older shows like 2015's Safe House and 2022's The Light in the Hall/Y Golau. There's also a set of older films arriving, like 2009's Cracks, 2020's The Dry and Six Minutes to Midnight, and 2022's Rogue Agent. While not all of these are new, most are new to Acorn TV viewers, and those who want to indulge in a month of mysteries will have plenty to choose from.

Harry Wild's Season 4 double episode premiere debuts on Monday, May 5, along with new episodes of Murdoch Mysteries Season 18, The Brokewood Mysteries Season 11, The One that Got Away/Cleddau, and all episodes of Safe House Season 1. New episodes of Harry Wild, Murdoch, Brokenwood, and The One That Got Away will continue on Mondays on Acorn, with all the episodes of The Light in the Hall/Y Golau arriving to join the set on Monday, May 12; all episodes of White Lies on Monday, May 19, and all episodes of Boglands/Cra on May 26, 2025.