'Grantchester' Season 9 Sets Premiere Date for June

Since the beginning of Grantchester Season 8, when the production announced the planned departure of lead Tom Brittney, fans have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Season 9, partly to see his exit from the series as Reverend William Davenport, and to meet his replacement, the Rev. Alphy Kotteram, played by Rishi Nair. Most assumed at the time that Will would leave at the end of the season; however, it turned out the show decided to follow the model set by the exit of original lead James Norton and have the Davenports exit in the first couple of episodes of the next season, and use the middle of the season to ease fans into the changing of the vicars.

Long-time fans of the show will recall that Norton's exit at the top of Season 4 was done that way out of sheer necessity; the series had not planned for the actor to leave, and it was only his refusal to resign that caused the show to reverse course after Season 3 broke up him and his fan favorite love interest to force him to stay in Grantchester. Having Brittney leave in the same manner it retroactively makes that exit the norm for the series. More importantly, it makes the debut of Season 9 a must-watch for viewers.

With the first trailer for the series now out and a release date set for June 2024, fans won't have much longer to wait. Check out our first look at Will Davenport's last days of crime-solving in Grantchester and Alphy Kotterdam's rather awkward arrival as Geordie has to train up a new vicar as his buddy in investigations.

Here's the synopsis for Season 9.

It’s 1961, and life is good for Will and Geordie. The families are always together, from Sunday lunches to planning summer holidays, and with honorary grandparents Mrs. C and Jack and adopted uncles Daniel and Leonard; it’s one big happy family! But when Will is approached with a life-changing offer, can he leave Grantchester and Geordie behind? As Geordie struggles with personal loss and ever-growing family conflict between Cathy and teenage daughter, Esme, he has no one to turn to. But when he arrests an intruder breaking into the Vicarage, he may find his days of working with a Vicar are not over.

Reverend Alphy Kotteram has an instinctive distrust for authority and absolutely no desire to get involved in murder investigations. But Alphy and Geordie will discover they have a lot more in common than they first think, and Alphy will find that in Grantchester, murder is never far away. From deadly circuses, abandoned babies, and hostile historians to vanishing valets and murderous satirists. Together, Geordie and Alphy witness first-hand how religion can be corrupted but also how faith, love, and friendship can offer hope – and renewal.

Grantchester Season 9 will see the return of Robson Green as Geordie Keating, Charlotte Ritchie as Bonnie, Al Weaver as Leonard Finch, Tessa Peake-Jones as Mrs. C, Kacey Ainsworth as Cathy Keating, Oliver Dimsdale as Daniel Marlowe, Nick Brimble as Jack Chapman, Bradley Hall as DC Larry Peters, Melissa Johns as Miss Scott, and Skye Lucia Degruttola as Esme Keating. Season 9 will be penned by Daisy Coulam, with Richard Cookson, Nessah Muthy, and Ayeesha Menon. Directors include Katherine Churcher, and Rob Evans, with Weaver stepping behind the camera for two episodes.

Grantchester Season 9 debuts on Sunday, June 16, 2024, at 9 p.m. ET on most PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, sandwiched between Professor T Season 3 Season 3 at 8 p.m. ET and D.I. Ray Season 2 at 10 p.m. ET. All episodes of all three series will be available as a binge on PBS Passport for members on premiere day.