Fox Murder in a small town Must fix one crime drama trope after its first episode to succeed. The series brings a cozy coastal mystery setting to Fox’s fall 2024-2025 slate, introducing Trench 11S. Rossif Sutherland as Karl Alberg. Sutherland plays the chief of police for the small seaside town. The first season of the series will follow the character as he solves a spree of murders in the otherwise quiet town, based on LR Wright’s nine-book Karl Alberg mystery series. Murder in a small town Premiere in late September 2024, with a touching connection to Donald Sutherland.
In episode 1, Rossif Sutherland’s Karl Alberg character shows his unique duality as an artist and police chief, which is the series’ opportunity to stand out in the police procedural genre. Despite its unusual setup, Murder in a small town Felt grounded and realistic compared to other cop shows over time, providing another opportunity for Sutherland’s show to stand out. Still, the series must avoid falling into this one trope from its pilot episode to live up to its potential and compete with other more established, popular police procedural series.
Murder in a small town needs to rely less on Karl Alberg’s unique instincts
Karl Alberg uses his artist training to investigate crime scenes
Murder in a small town Promises realistic mysteries, but one element of the series was sensationalized. When investigating the crime scene, where an elderly man died after being hit in the head, Murder in a small town Played Carl Alberg’s instincts As an artist and chief of police. The episode illustrated with music and visuals how the crime scene came together for Carl. While it was a compelling moment, Carl’s instincts led to unfounded conclusions. While the trope sets up Carl as a genius, the series must beef up the investigation to keep it believable.
Specifically, when investigating, Sutherland’s character notices that the house has a sense of symmetry. He believed that the mantel of the home was missing two large objects (because they would otherwise balance the focal display of the home owner) and that these objects were the murder weapon. Carl followed his first instinct throughout the investigation, and This trope complicated the grounded nature of the show By suggesting that Alberg could rely almost entirely on instinct over evidence. While Alberg eventually backed his case, and it may go some way to characterizing Alberg, the brilliant artist trope may hinder the series in the following episodes.
Why murder in a small town works better focusing on the investigative process
Murder in a Small Town is a different grounded mystery series
Sutherland’s Alberg character was at his best when he felt relatable and grounded in his investigative process. While there were a few times that coincidences with Christine Kreuk’s Murder in a small town Character felt comfortable, and Alberg’s instincts felt somewhat unbelievable, the first episode otherwise featured a realistic setup with a satisfying conclusion. The blending of elements allowed audiences to focus on Murder in a small towns history rather than sensationalized or graphic elements. Ideally, the show will balance Carl’s artistic genius with his down-to-earth manner and investigative style to create the perfect blend of believability and brilliance in subsequent episodes.
Murder in a small town Appears on Fox on Tuesdays at 8 PM Eastern.