Acorn TV Brings Viewers 'A Remarkable Place to Die'

Just under a year ago, the New Zealand-set detective series A Remarkable Place to Die was launched at the 2024 London Screenings, alerting most TV executives to its existence. The four feature-length-episode limited series, made by Screentime New Zealand with Real Film Berlin, was already destined for TVNZ and ZDF, the co-producers' home public broadcasters, and was looking to get picked up internationally. Acorn TV, which aims to bring shows from Down Under to U.S. viewers, was already lined up to be given a commissioning credit, guaranteeing its exclusive rights. And yet, months passed, the series debuted overseas, and suddenly, it was 2025, and there was no sign of it.

Thankfully, with the turn of the year, the wait has come to an end. The series will land on Acorn TV in mid-February and stream with weekly installments through mid-March. Starring New Zealand actor Chelsie Preston Crayford, who viewers might recognize for the original version of What We Do In the Shadows or the more recent film M3GAN, this is your typical series featuring a big city cop (in this case, Sydney) who leaves their high profile job to return to their hometown (in this case, Queenstown) to investigate a murder that's close to home. 

The title, A Remarkable Place to Die, is a pun; the mountain range surrounding Queenstown, a major tourist attraction, is known as The Remarkables. That very New Zealand-style humor should give you something of an idea of the series' tone.

Here's the series synopsis via Acorn TV:

A Remarkable Place To Die follows smart and determined homicide detective Anaís Mallory as she returns to her hometown of Queenstown, New Zealand, assuming the role of lead detective and hoping to unravel the truth behind the deaths of her father and sister. Mallory has a stellar policing career underway after a secondment to Sydney; however, she is forced to confront her strained relationship with her mother and the ghosts of her past, including her ex-fiancé Luke Staunton, who is now married to her ex-best friend, Maja. 

With a new case to solve every episode, it rapidly becomes apparent that plenty is hidden beyond the breathtaking scenery of the tourist town. Secrets linger, and danger is never too far away. As bodies start piling up around the once-safe place, Mallory and her team are thrust into a series of intriguing cases that bring into focus the tragedies that have beset her family. Plagued by the suspicion that her ex-fiancé might somehow be involved in their deaths, Mallory also realizes that her mother may know more than she is willing to reveal.

Chelsie Preston Crawford stars as Anais Mallory; she is joined by a cast that includes Rebecca Gibney (Under the Vines) as Veronica Mallory, Anais' mother; Charles Jazz Terrier (Ms Fisher's Modern Murder Mysteries) as Luke Staunton and Indiana Evans (Secrets & Lies) as Maja Staunton. The supporting cast includes Alex Tarrant (The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power), Michala Banas (Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries), Mike Edward (The Brokenwood Mysteries), Nathalie Boltt (Riverdale), and Tara Canton (After the Party).

Philly de Lacey is the creator of the series A Remarkable Place to Die with writer John Banas, the latter of whom worked on the original Miss Fisher Murder Mysteries as a writer; the two penned all four episodes with Dahnu Graham (Sweet Tooth). Directors Peter Burger (The Gone), Caroline Bell-Booth (My Life Is Murder), Josh Frizzell (Friends Like Her), and Charlie Haskell (The Gulf) split helming duties with one episode each. De Lacey also serves as executive producer alongside Henning Kamm and Sibylle Stellbrink.

A Remarkable Place to Die will premiere exclusively on Acorn TV on Monday, February 17, 2025, and will stream with weekly episodes on Mondays through March 10.