The 'Art Detectives' Trailer Mixes Murder & Masterpieces

Acorn TV has released the first trailer for its upcoming cozy crime drama Art Detectives, and it seems apparent that no one is doing this particular subgenre like this streaming service. A destination for murder mysteries that boast both intriguingly offbeat premises and stars looking for a creative offramp into a different phase of their careers, Acorn's series are out here trying to find a way to give the people what they want in a way that doesn't simply repeat the same beats of the many (many!) other crime procedurals out there today.

Art Detectives stars former True Blood heartthrob Stephen Moyer as DI Mick Palmer, the latest in a long line of detective leads in British police procedurals who have jobs that sound like they might not quite be entirely real. Palmer heads the Heritage Crime Unit, a division dedicated to solving crimes connected to the arts and antiques world. If you are worried that such a tame-sounding departmental premise might mean Moyer won't be solving murders in the village like every other series lead in Acorn's line-up, never fear. It turns out that plenty of people are willing to kill over a priceless painting or risk it all to steal a historical artifact of some type. 

Opposite Moyer, Nina Singh (The Lazarus Project) plays DC Shazia Malik, a less experienced officer whose straight-talking demeanor is clearly meant to balance her slightly oddball investigative partner's quirks. If the series' trailer is anything to go by, their chemistry is charming, and one has to assume both Malik and the audience watching along at home are about to get more than a few art history lessons along with all the dead bodies.

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.

Alongside Moyer and Singh, Art Detectives also stars Sarah Alexander (Coupling) as Mick's burgeoning love interest, Rosa, and Larry Lamb (Curfew) as Mick's father, Ron, who just so happens to be a renowned criminal art thief in his own right. 

“I’m very excited to bring the slightly quirky Mick Palmer to life in this wonderfully creative detective series," Moyer said in a statement when the series was first announced. "The writing team on Art Detectives has done a great job of cleverly weaving together intriguing storylines, notable pieces of art, and a bit of history thrown in for good measure." 

The show was created by Dan Gaster, Will Ing, and Paul Powell, who wrote it along with Emma Goodwin and Kitty Percy. Jennie Paddon directed all six episodes, with Candida Julian-Jones producing. Moyer is an executive producer, along with Gast, Ing, and Powell for Black Dog Television, Mackin and Bea Tammer for Acorn TV/Acorn Media Enterprises, and Daniel March and Klaus Zimmerman for Dynamic Television. 

Art Detectives will premiere with two episodes on Monday, June 9, 2025, followed by one a week on Mondays on Acorn TV.