'Dalgliesh' Season 3's Debut Will Be a Holiday Treat

Acorn TV is on a bit of a roll. In 2024, it released a new season of nearly every fan favorite on the roster, from Harry Wild to My Life is Murder to Whitstable Pearl. Now, on the heels of Inspector Ellis' debut, the streaming service has announced it will close out the year with the third season of Dalgliesh. Starring Bertie Carvel (The Crown) as the titular poet-detective, the 21st-century remake of P.D. James' hero will once again cover three novels (1962's Cover Her Face, 1989's Devices & Desires, and 2001's Death By Holy Orders) over six episodes. However, like Season 2, Acorn TV will release two episodes a week so that fans have one entire mystery to watch instead of waiting for a cliffhanger to be resolved every other week. This also means all six episodes will be on streaming before the holidays properly arrive.

Season 3 of Dalgliesh was initially commissioned in 2022 by Channel 5 and Acorn TV after the first season's success during COVID lockdowns. However, news became scant as Season 2 went into production, to the point that when Season 3 began filming, most trades assumed that was the renewal confirmation. The question fans will be asking, though, is if Dalgliesh has more renewals waiting in the wings or if three seasons is all viewers can hope for. James wrote 14 Adam Dalgliesh Mysteries stories in all, 12 of which were adapted by ITV and the BBC between 1985 and 2004.

Thus far, the new version has adapted six novels, with three more arriving in Season 3. That leaves five books to be adapted, three of which have already been given the small-screen treatment. If the series is looking to remake all of the mysteries previously made for TV, that means viewers have at least one more season to look forward to, with a chance of a fifth made up of the final two novels. Until Acorn TV and Channel 5 announce more, we at least have the Season 3 trailer to watch and six new installments to look forward to, two of which were helmed by Carvel himself.