'The Marlow Murder Club' Already Filming Season 3

The triaging of The Marlow Murder Club release schedule continues apace, as Season 3 gets announced by UKTV, despite the series being a co-production with Masterpiece, which has not even released the first images from Season 2, let alone a trailer. It's slightly better than the Season 2 announcement, which came on what would have been the heels of the series' premiere on PBS, had it arrived in the spring of 2024 as initially planned. However, the show was bumped to the fall to make way for Mr Bates vs the Post Office here in the U.S., while over in the U.K., the show remained on the original schedule, causing a six-month delay between the two release dates. Season 2 arrived in the U.K. in early 2025 and only just concluded a few weeks ago; however, this time, UKTV politely waited so that the Season 3 announcement came after the show's Season 2 premiere date was announced for the U.S.

Masterpiece had good reason to choose bumping The Marlow Murder Club over, say, the Suranne Jones series MaryLand, which wound up directly following Mr. Bates, because the latter was not guaranteed to be a hit (and was, at best, a mushy middler in the ratings for the public broadcaster). The Marlow Murder Club, however, comes with a long pedigree, conceived of and created by Robert Thorogood, the man behind Death in Paradise, which has reached 15 seasons and counting, plus two hit spinoffs. That track record, plus a cast led by Downton Abbey's Samantha Bond, Doctor Who's Jo Martin, and Cara Horgan (Murder in Provence), practically guaranteed hit status no matter when it premiered, or how long it took to arrive after airing in the U.K.

PBS is slowly shifting The Marlow Murder Club back down the schedule, premiering Season 2 in August 2025 rather than October. With a third season officially on the way for next year, I'd personally put my money on it arriving in June 2026, putting it in a relatively sensible position to UKTV's spring berth. But hey, don't quote me (unless I'm right.)

Here's the third season's synopsis, which is only slightly spoilery:

Now an established part of newly promoted DI Tanika Malik’s crime-solving team, retired archaeologist Judith Potts, dog walker Suzie Harris, and vicar’s wife Becks Starling are back and bringing their unconventional methods to a string of high-profile murders. From the sudden death of the nicest man in Marlow, the town’s beloved Mayor, to a celebrity chef found dead at the launch of his cookbook with half the town in attendance, the team will be working under the watchful eye of the Marlow community. They’ll also be called to action at a university reunion in an eerie manor house, where, in a surprising twist, Becks finds herself amongst the suspects. Could this case threaten our amateur sleuths’ roles as civilian advisors?

Bond, Martin, and Horgan return once more as the club's trio, with Natalie Dew (The Capture) as the friendly police officer who makes the arrests for them. Other series regulars that have been established over the first two seasons include Holli Dempsey (Endeavour) as DC Alice Hackett, Phill Langhorne (Mrs. Sidhu Investigates) as DS Brendan Perry, and Tijan Sarr (Shadow & Bone) as DC Jason Kennedy. Guest stars are expected to be announced in due course.

Series creator Thorogood co-wrote Season 3's first two episodes with Daniel Rusteau, an adaptation of Robert’s third book in The Marlow Murder Club series, Queen of Poisons. Other writers for the series include Amy Reith and Julia Gilbert. Director Steve Barron returns to direct the first four episodes, with Katherine Churcher helming the show's finale set, with Serena Cullen producing. Thorogood and Barron executive produce alongside Alison Owen, Debra Hayward, Alison Carpenter, Sophie Clarke-Jervoise & Jill Forbes for Monumental Television, and Susanne Simpson for Masterpiece.

The Marlow Murder Club Season 2 premieres on most local PBS stations, the PBS app, and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel beginning Sunday, August 24, 2025, at 9 p.m. ET, directly following the premiere of Professor T Season 4 at 8 p.m. All six episodes of Season 2 will be available for members on premiere day via PBS Passport. As always, check your local listings. Season 3 is expected to debut on both sides of the pond in 2026.