Acorn TV Introduces Us to the 'Art Detectives'

Police procedurals and "cozy crime" series have been a staple of television since its inception. Not just Law & Order type series like Dragnet, but Agatha Christie style mysteries based on novels, where small picturesque places find themselves involved in murder. One reason the genre has such enduring appeal is that it is incredibly versatile. People solve crimes just about anywhere, from the beaches of St. Marie to the frozen fjords of Norway. There are also different specializations; Unforgotten's team investigates cold cases; Hidden Assets chases down the offshore accounts of the Irish Mafia. Acorn TV's latest series, Art Detectives, follows the Heritage Crime Unit as they investigate crimes in the art world.

On the face of it, the latest addition to Acorn TV's lineup sounds like it's probably adapted from recent best-sellers, like Blue Ruin by Hari Kunzru, or Scrap by Calla Henkel, both of which were part of the subgenre's return to popularity in 2024. However, Art Detectives is a wholly original concept, one of the many shows on Acorn TV that is not based on a previously existing novel or adapted from another medium.

Art Detectives is, however, a formulaic procedural; it's just not one that's taken from bookshelves. Instead, it follows the same format as Acorn TV's other super popular series, Harry Wild with Jane Seymour, My Life is Murder with Lucy Lawless, Whitstable Pearl with Kerry Godliman, and the most recent addition, Inspector Ellis with Sharon D Clarke. It's a series starring an older actor who was seeking a stable role, playing a quirky detective whose seemingly mad methods turn out to be far better than anyone realizes.

Here's the series synopsis.

In Art Detectives, art-loving DI Mick Palmer and straight-talking DC Shazia Malik together solve murders connected to the world of art and antiques, from Old Master paintings, to Banksy street art, medieval manuscripts, and collectible vinyl.

Each episode follows Mick and Shazia as they navigate a rich and colorful world driven by greed, obsession, lust and revenge. Throughout the season, the artfully astute detectives encounter a fake Vermeer, Viking gold, a rare Chinese vase and items rescued from the Titanic. Mick navigates these demanding cases while managing a budding romance with museum curator Rosa and the sudden reappearance of his charismatic father, Ron, who just happens to be one of Britain’s most notorious forgers.

These are the titles and synopses for the double episode season premiere:

Episode 1: "Pictures At An Exhibition” (Monday, June 9, 2025)

• DI Mick Palmer and DC Shazia Malik visit a country house where an art historian has been brutally murdered. What’s the connection to a vandalized painting, sabotaged CCTV, and a scribbled note saying "Triumph Equals Desire"?

Episode 2: "Dead & Buried” (Monday, June 9, 2025)

• Mick and Shazia investigate the discovery of a gold hoard and realize it’s been stolen from a prehistoric burial chamber. As they dig deeper, they uncover a faked suicide, professional betrayal, and a thousand-year-old cover-up.

The series stars Stephen Moyer (Sexy Beast) as DI Mick Palmer, Nina Singh (The Lazarus Project) as his new partner in crime-solving, DC Shazia Malik; and Sarah Alexander (Coupling) as Mick's love interest, Rosa, a museum curator and art historian (very useful for exposition on the artwork de jour involved in the mystery-of-the-week). The central quartet is rounded out by Larry Lamb (Curfew) as Mick's father, Ron, who just so happens to be a renowned criminal art thief and forger in his own right. 

Dan Gaster (The Thick of It), Will Ing (Zapped), and Paul Powell (Doctor Who Live) conceived of and wrote Art Detectives, with Emma Goodwin (Death in Paradise) and Kitty Percy (Sister Boniface Mysteries) also contributing episodes. Director Jennie Paddon (Sanditon) helmed all installments with Candida Julian-Jones producing. Gaster, Ing, and Powell executive produce for Black Dog Television, along with Moyer, Catherine Mackin & Bea Tammer for Acorn TV/Acorn Media Enterprises, and Daniel March & Klaus Zimmerman for Dynamic Television. 

Art Detectives premieres with two episodes on Monday, June 9, 2025, exclusively on Aocrn TV, with one episode a week to follow through mid-July.