EXCLUSIVE: Fox is staying in the cozy crime space with a Season 3 renewal for Murder in a Small Town. In the new 10-episode installment, returning leads Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk will be joined by Peter Gallagher (The O.C., Grace and Frankie) who has been tapped as a series regular.
While Murder In a Small Town has been dormant after wrapping its second season in early December, its renewal for another limited run had been expected as the mystery drama has emerged as a reliable utility player for Fox, a sturdy performer at a very appealing price point.
Season 2 of Murder In a Small Town improved on Season 1’s 7-day multiplatform audience by +11%, and saw series highs in both 7-day total multiplatform and streaming with solid showing in Hulu and a rare year-to-year linear viewership increase.
Additionally, the Canadian-made series, produced by Sepia Films in association with Fox Entertainment and Future Shack Entertainment, is made under a lower-cost production model, falling under Fox’s cost-effective international content strategy.
Based on the nine-book series by L.R. Wright, Murder In a Small Town follows Karl Alberg (Sutherland), who moves to a quiet, coastal town to soothe a psyche that has been battered by big-city police work and starts a relationship with the local librarian Cassandra (Kreuk).
In a season-long arc, Gallagher will play Rod Finlayson, a charismatic, uber-independent, capable yet unreliable figure, whose arrival at the Gibsons’ marina on his beloved boat sets up a sequence of upheavals that Alberg and Cassandra will have to grapple with.
Gallagher’s casting is part of a strategy Fox has employed on two of its dramas with a lighter, optimistic tone by bringing a big name each season as a new series regular with a one-year deal to keep viewers’ interest by adding a familiar face and fresh storylines.
Murder In a Small Town did it with Marcia Gay Harden in Season 2; Doc has done it with Felicity Huffman in Season 2 and Blair Underwood in the upcoming third season.
“We love bringing this cozy and delightful mystery to Fox fans, and we’re thrilled Murder in a Small Town has continued to resonate with our audience,” said Brooke Bowman, EVP of Drama Programming & Development, Fox Television Network. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Sepia Films and Future Shack on Season 3, alongside our exceptional cast led by Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk and soon to include the incomparable talent of Peter Gallagher as their newest adversary.”
Murder in a Small Town is executive produced by Ian Weir, Amanda Tapping, Morris Ruskin and Sharon Wisnia (Mojo Global Arts), Tina Pehme and Kim Roberts (Sepia Films) and Jeff Wachtel and Jared Berenholz (Future Shack). Nick Orchard of Soapbox Productions, which originally optioned the book series, also serves as producer on the series.
On Fox’s 2026-27 schedule, Murder In a Small Town joins recently renewed dramas Doc, Best Medicine and Memory of a Killer, returning comedy Animal Control as well as the network’s animated contingent.
Gallagher’s feature credits include American Beauty and Short Cuts for which he shared a SAG Award and Gloden Globe Award, respectively. His television work includes Grace and Frankie, Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist, Grey’s Anatomy, Law & Order SVU, Togetherness, Covert Affairs, New Girl and The OC. He is repped by Gersh.