5 reasons to make Murder in a Small Town your next Netflix binge

Netflix has acquired even more broadcast favorites, making the long wait for some of them to return easier. We have great news for you. FOX's Murder in a Small Town is dropping both season 1 and season 2 on September 29. This gives you plenty of time to binge both before the cozy procedural returns mid-season on FOX.

Murder in a Small Town brought back the blue-sky procedural, and executive producer Jeff Wachtel is an expert in the genre, having created several favorites, including Monk and Suits, which are also streaming on Netflix. The series almost begins like a Hallmark Channel mystery when Det. Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) moves from the city to the Sunshine Coast, hoping for a quieter life, but small towns have more secrets and murder.

He quickly connects with the local librarian, Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk), and their relationship becomes the series' heart. The murders aren't as gritty or graphic as in other shows, as the series focuses on the motives behind them and explores different perspectives.

Book-to-screen adaptations fans will enjoy it

Murder in a Small Town is loosely based on L. R. Wright's Alberg & Cassandra series. Some of the episodes, including the series premiere, were pulled directly from the books. Headwriter Ian Weir developed the characters and the town of Gibsons from the novels. He used certain books, such as The Suspect, to kick off the series. Weekly television needs more stories than a nine-book series, so the production team has used side plots, relationship and family drama, and other entertaining mysteries.

However, the series premiere will lure viewers in because it follows the book closely, and they cast James Cromwell in a guest-starring role, and he's such a veteran. He's so insanely creepy and fascinating in scenes with Kristin and Rossif.

Karl & Cassandra's romance is the emotional anchor

Their romance often serves as the emotional anchor, providing narrative continuity amid the weekly murders. Murder in a Small Town features character-driven storytelling, and Karl and Cassandra struggle with trust, especially at the beginning when they disagree on cases or when he's called away suddenly.

Their relationship has several high-stakes moments when criminals put Karl in danger or kidnap Cassandra. While typically the crimes move the plot, their relationship and whether they can weather all these stresses keep fans on their toes. We'd like to believe in another chance at love and that the criminal won't succeed.

The cases have personal stakes

Murder in a Small Town also differs from other shows because sometimes you can guess the suspect, but not the motive. It reminds me of Motive in that regard. Most of the suspects have a personal or passionate reason for going after the victim. They aren't hardened criminals, except for a few, and diving into their psychological minds is half the fun.

But the majority of the crimes were caused by family feuds and buried secrets, or love triangles and illicit affairs. One of my favorite cases involves a troubled marriage with no winners, but you never saw the twists that came. It was brilliant.

The guest stars

The guest stars often attract fans. Sometimes it's only for an episode or two, and then the main cast entices people to stay. Besides James Cromwell, Murder in a Small Town season 1 featured a talented guest cast, including Stana Katic, Noah Reid, and more. It also included a Smallville reunion between Kristin Kreuk and Erica Durance, bringing the longtime friends together again on screen

Season 2's lineup includes even bigger names, such as Camryn Manheim, Tyler Posey, and the late Malcolm-Jamal Warner. Marcia Gay Harden also joined the cast in season 2 and spiced things up.

Season 2 was even better than season 1

While I liked Murder in a Small Town season 1, season 2 was way better. The writers brought in bigger guest stars and wrote higher-stakes mysteries. It also included two longer arcs throughout the entire season, and one featured Cassandra and her past. It was great finally digging into her character more, instead of having her be only the librarian or Karl's girlfriend.

The second season also explores the rest of Karl's police department more, how they work together, and their personal lives. Viewers need to care about the characters to invest in a show, and they succeeded. Make sure you try Murder in a Small Town for the murder, romance, drama, and everything else that a small town brings.

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