The Final Preview for 'Annika' Season 1 Regrets Not Bringing Cupcakes

The loss of Nicola Walker as DCI Cassie Stuart from Unforgotten was one of the big dramas of 2021. Though to be fair, her character had been written into a corner, and her passing made sense for the story to continue, it was still a blow to see one of the few female-led detective shows lose a fan-favorite actress. But the gap was short-lived for those with PBS Passport, as last spring, the Alibi series Annika arrived on streaming. A televised adaptation of the BBC 4 Radio series of the same name Walker already headlined, it put her right back in the thick of things. 

Now those dependent on linear PBS will get to join in the fun, as Walker's series arrives just in time for Halloween as part of Masterpiece's mystery lineup. Walker is the perfect addition to the slate, with kicks off with Kate Phillips as Miss Eliza Scarlet, a 19th-century London private detective, and then moves into Lesley Manville as editor-turned-amateur detective Susan Ryeland, moving from her present-day surrounding to the 1950s novel that will help her solve who killed her most lucrative author client. Walker is a professional detective in a thoroughly modern setting as part of the Scottish Police Force.

Not that Walker will be forced to do a Scottish brogue. Her character, Annika Strandhed, in the radio series was from Olso. Here she is a Detective Inspector in the Scottish Police; however, she's a recently transferred one. She's just joined the Glasgow Marine Homicide Unit, meaning she can keep her everyday accent that PBS viewers are already familiar with. As she says in the new trailer, it's a new name, a new team, and a new town, but the mysteries they solve and the crimes committed are as familiar as ever. Pass the cupcakes.

Here's the synopsis for the series' first season:

Fishing bodies from the waters around Glasgow, Scotland, DI Annika Strandhed and her newly formed Marine Homicide Unit face a steady stream of murders in this new six-part series. Confiding her thoughts directly to viewers, Annika juggles baffling cases and a rebellious teenage daughter. The former are easier to solve than the latter. 

Walker's new team includes Jamie Sives (Guilt) as DS Michael McAndrews, Katie Leung (Harry Potter) as DC Blair Ferguson, Ukweli Roach (Grantchester) as DS Tyrone Clarke, Kate Dickie (Game of Thrones), DCI Diane Oban, and Paul McGann (Doctor Who) as Jake Strathearn. Silvie Furneaux (Vigil) plays Morgan, Annika's teenage daughter.

Annika will debut on Sunday, Oct. 16, 2022, at 10 p.m. ET on most PBS stations and will follow a weekly release schedule. All six episodes are already available to stream for PBS Passport members. As always, check your local listings. Annika Season 2 is already greenlit and expected out in 2023.