'Magpie Murders' & 'Annika' Anchor A Fall Female Detective Lineup

The summer TV season is here, and with it, the usual "Summer of Mysteries" that PBS has been reliably airing for the better part of a decade, save last year when pandemic delays upended the schedule. But 2021 wasn't short on mystery series; instead of the usual Endeavour/Grantchester cold-blooded murder for hot summer nights, the fall lineup wound up crime heavy, with Grantchester Season 6 and Baptiste Season 2 airing back to back until the holidays arrived. It looks like that formula has been successful because, in addition to the usual summer mystery block for 2022, PBS will sport an all-female detective lineup this fall.

PBS already revealed Miss Scarlet and The Duke Season 2 would debut as part of the Masterpiece Mystery fall lineup starting mid-October, taking the 8 p.m. ET slot. It turns out that's because it will be kicking off a three hour set of female detective shows, with Lesley Manville's highly anticipated turn as book editor turned amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland in Magpie Murders airing at 9 p.m. ET, and Nicola Walker's return to police procedurals, starring as the titular detective in the new series Annika rounding out the evening at 10 p.m. ET. All three series run six episodes and will conclude just before Thanksgiving.

The new extended preview trailer released by Masterpiece along with the announcement also has footage for the rest of the mystery lineup for this year, starting with Endeavour Season 8, the debut of which is just around the corner, and Grantchester, which follows immediately after Endeavour's three-episode run is over in July. There's also brand new footage for Guilt Season 2, which arrives at the end of August, and Van der Valk Season 2, which will premiere in mid-September and finish its three-episode run directly before the main fall lineup in October.