'The Chelsea Detective' Lands Holiday Special Ahead of Season 3

Being chosen to film a Christmas or Festive Special is a sign of having made it for U.K. network shows. It denotes a level of popularity or cultural relevance to be one of those series immortalized as part of the TV Christmas lineup for that year. Last year, it was Vera which landed a Festive Special, an honor bestowed after twelve years on the air. This year, the big newcomer looks like it will be Acorn TV's original, The Chelsea Detective.

The Chelsea Detective was not the most cozy of crime dramas when it debuted in 2022. The idea was sound: Two working-class cops assigned to solve murders in London's toniest neighborhood at a time when wealth disparity is at levels of inequality not seen since The Gilded Age. DI Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) has emotional and personal connections to this world and understands how these people work; DS Priya Shamsie (Sonita Henry) is a new mother trying to move up in the force and care for her baby simultaneously and utterly unprepared for the class divide she's thrown into.

But the chemistry between Henry and Scarborough didn't work, and she left the series after one season. The show was eventually renewed with Vanessa Emme as DS Layla Walsh, a snarkier, more world partner, giving Season 2 fresh energy and a fun dynamic. This time, the renewal for a third season came quickly, with Scarborough and Emme both back. Now, that premiere episode is being aired as the show's first Festive special, arriving in mid-December. The rest of Season 3 will follow in early 2025, much like The Madame Blanc Mysteries and Call The Midwife do.