'Grace' Renewed for Season 6 As ITV Gears Up for Season 5

Grace is one of those British detective series that spends years flying under the radar until one day it reaches Season 10, and then suddenly people start noticing it's quietly become a cultural staple when no one was paying attention. Most of the dramas that inhabit that space — Father Brown and Death in Paradise both come to mind — were released in the years before the streaming revolution, and aired on local PBS stations across the country, so Americans have a general awareness of them, even if they've never seen more than an episode or two from various inaugural seasons. But Grace only debuted in this decade (in 2021, to be precise) and while the show has been a hit in the U.K., its inability to gain traction on BritBox in America has left it underwatched by Anglophiles. Even so, ITV has kept on with the series, renewing it for Season 6 ahead of its Season 5 debut.

If you haven't yet watched Grace, the series is based on the bestselling Roy Grace novels by Peter James. It stars John Simms as the titular Detective Superintendent Roy Grace, an actor Doctor Who fans will recognize as one of the first reboot's most memorable Masters. The series was initially adapted from the books by Endeavour's Russell Lewis, who penned the show's first two seasons before handing it off to the current production team. Between the Morse fans and the Whovians, you can see why, in an earlier era, this show would have done well on PBS; however, in the depths of the pandemic the show's early seasons went straight to BritBox in the States, during a point when the streaming service was still too small for most viewers to have noticed it or made aware of the new show.

Season 4 debuted on BritBox in the early spring of 2024, just before it began the current transition into the BBC's flagship international streaming service was underway. However, with Season 5 already slated to stream on the platform in 2025, Grace's arrival will be more high profile than in previous seasons. Hopefully a network of fans will be happy to catch up on the show's first four outings, especially since the seasons are only three or four episodes a pop.

The renewal comes ahead of Grace Season 5 debuting on ITV in the spring of 2025, so there's no first images, trailer, or synopsis. However, ITV has revealed which of James' novels will be adapted as part of the new season, with the season's four feature length episodes covering Books 13-16, Need You Dead, Dead If You Don't, Dead at First Sight,  and Find Them Dead. If the show sticks faithfully to the books (which it mostly has so far), that will see Grace solving the murder of an abused spouse, the kidnapping of a wealthy businessman's kid, an online dating scam that leads to murder, and the trial of Brighton's most notorious drug gang. Season 6 has not revealed which books it will take on, but most assume it will be Books 17-20. (Book 20, One of Us is Dead, was the most recent story published, hitting shelves in 2024.) 

Season 5 will bring back most of the series' regular ensemble, with Simm (Doctor Who) co-starring with Richie Campbell (Top Boy) as his partner-in-crime-solving, DS Glenn Branson, Zoë Tapper (Liar) as Cleo Morey, Laura Elphinstone (Dalgliesh) as DS Bella Moy, Brad Morrison (Outlander) as DC Nick Nicholl, and Sam Hoare (Miss Scarlet & The Duke) as ACC Cassian Pewe. Craig Parkinson (Mrs Sidhu Investigates), who played Norman Potting, announced he was exiting the show at the end of Season 4. 

Jess Williams (Traces), Guy Burt (Alex Rider), Caroline Carver (The Bay), and Ed Whitmore (Silent Witness) each penned one of the four Season 5 installments. Directors have not been named, but Kiaran Murray-Smith returns as Series Producer, and Matthew Hamilton co-producing. Murray-Smith executive produces with author James, alongside Phil Hunter for Tall Story Pictures, and Andrew O'Connor & Paul Sandler for Vaudeville Productions.

Grace Season 5 is expected to debut on ITV in either March or April 2025, followed by a debut on BritBox in the U.S.