28 Must-Watch Acorn TV Shows on Right Now (March 2026): ‘The Family Next Door’ and More

In this compelling mystery series based on the novel of the same name by Sally Hepworth, an enigmatic woman named Isabelle (Teresa Palmer) moves into a quaint seaside cottage in a charming town called Osprey’s Point. Isabelle claims to locals she’s a writer working on an article about the town’s evolution into a trendy resort destination, but she’s actually there to investigate the other families who reside in her cul-de-sac. As her neighbors become suspicious of Isabelle’s true intentions and motives, tensions flare and devastating secrets bubble up to the surface.

Be sure to check out The Family Next Door if you were a fan of Peacock’s miniseries adaptation of The ‘Burbs starring Keke Palmer. It’s a similar dissection of the rot hidden underneath the perfect white picket fences of suburbia, but it gives a unique spin to its domestic thriller with a compelling, witty tone. Overall, the central mystery is supremely compelling, and The Family Next Door ends up making for a perfect binge-watch.

In 1857, the world is at the mercy of the powerful East India Mercantile Company, whose armies outmaneuver and outgun every other nation on earth while stealing these same countries’ resources. In India, the company is building the Nautilus, an underwater submersible intended as a warship. Things take a turn when one of the Nautilus’ slave laborers enacts a long-gestating uprising. When Nemo (Shazad Latif) and his crew successfully escape in the Nautilius, they must contend with being hunted by the Company’s merciless Director Crawley (Damien Garvey) as they set out on an adventure to destroy their oppressors.

Nautilus takes Jules Verne‘s iconic novel and infuses it with some timely themes for the modern era and a fun, ridiculous storyline that always keeps things entertaining. Latif steals the show in a heroic performance as Captain Nemo, and the visually arresting production design, family-friendly tone and freewheeling energy allow Nautilus to succeed as a fresh take on an old story.

Celebrated surgeon Dr. Martin Ellingham (Martin Clunes) suddenly develops an intense fear of blood, forcing him to relocate from his London hospital to the Cornish village of Portwenn. There, he swaps his surgical gloves in favor of being the small town’s only general practitioner. Doc Martin — the townsfolk’s nickname for him — follows Ellingham as he struggles to adapt his posh lifestyle to his new working-class environment, frequently bristling against the people of Portwenn for his fancy clothes, abrasive personality and lack of bedside manners. Nevertheless, Ellingham is a brilliant doctor, and he slowly gains his neighbors’ trust. 

Doc Martin ran on ITV for an impressive 18-year run, a beloved show for its awkward, laugh-out-loud comedy, curmudgeonly appeal of Clunes’ character and the genuinely engaging development of Ellingham across seasons. The eclectic ensemble cast keeps things interesting, and Ellingham even gets a love interest at one point. Overall, Doc Martin is a well-written show that is both charming, sweet and entertainingly cringe-inducing.

When Alex Irving (Deborah Mailman), an Indigenous woman, gains media attention for her act of bravery against a violent gunman, Rachel Anderson (Rachel Griffiths), the controversial Prime Minister of Australia, decides to hire Alex as a senator to boost her favorability. But when Alex takes her place in the senate, Rachel realizes that she wants to be more than just a token, and a betrayal causes Alex to fight back in a way that could topple the entire political establishment.

Carried by powerful performances from Mailman and Griffiths, Total Control succeeds as a biting and high-stakes political drama. The fantastic dialogue and compelling character dynamics between Alex and Rachel give Total Control a strong anchor, in a show that also does an exceptional job at offering authentic Indigenous representation and tackling timely themes such as systemic racism and corruption.

In the first season of this crime thriller, Irish detective Emer Berry (Angeline Ball) travels to Antwerp after a petty criminal is linked to a series of bombings in Belgium. After the Irish Criminal Assets Bureau does a routine raid, they discover that a small-time drug dealer has been receiving rough diamonds from an anonymous source, and the diamonds are thus linked to the bombings. In Belgium, Emer teams up with the anti-terrorism squad and Belgian Police Commissioner Christian de Jong (Wouter Hendrickx) to get to the bottom of the case and prevent another terrorist attack.

After some cast departures and introductions during the second season of Hidden Assets, season 3’s cast is headed up by Nora-Jane Noone, alongside season 1 regulars Aaron Monaghan and Cathy Belton and brand-new additions Catherine Walker, Dónall Ó Héalaí and more. The show is a spinoff of the series Acceptable Risk, and many fans and critics found that Hidden Assets more than lived up to its parent series. Dark and twisted with gritty realism, intriguing conspiracy and a top-notch cast, Hidden Assets is a must-watch for fans of high-stakes investigative thrillers.

Believe it or not, Murdoch Mysteries has been on the air for over two decades and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. The Canadian mystery series stars Yannick Bisson as Detective William Murdoch, who solves crimes in turn-of-the-century Toronto. In addition to the usage of newfangled forensic techniques, Murdoch is helped by  Constable Crabtree (Jonny Harris), Inspector Brackenreid (Thomas Craig) and Dr. Julia Ogden (Helene Joy). Though his methods and approach elicit skepticism from his peers, Detective Murdoch stops at nothing to solve the city’s most puzzling and gruesome murders.

It’s no secret why Murdoch Mysteries has managed to remain strong since 2008: it boasts a timeless blend of charming historical fiction, baffling cases and engaging characters. The series showcases a great blend of pulpy crime and light-hearted comedy — led by the fantastic Bisson — that satiates viewers’ desires for both escapist, feel-good content and compelling mystery.

British spy Sylvia Fox (Emilia Fox) visits Italy for her niece’s wedding, but when the groom fails to show up on the big day, Sylvia becomes suspicious. As Sylvia investigates the crime, she realizes the groom is not all he appears to be. Signore Volpe follows Sylvi as she settles down in a charming Italian town and finds herself pulled into various local crimes. She also begins falling for a cop (Giovanni Cirfiera), but must deal with her ex-husband and former colleague (Jamie Bamber) attempting to lure her back.

Signora Volpe leans away from macabre gore and grisly murders and instead focuses on great performances, compelling mysteries and the perfect amount of romance. If you’re a fan of easy-going crime dramas with laid-back pacing and beautiful Italian locales, then Signora Volpe is the next binge-watch for you.

Ex-cop and single mom Pearl Nolan (Kerry Godliman) runs the Whitstable Peale seafood restaurant alongside her mother (Frances Barber). However, her restaurant doubles as the headquarters for Pearl’s private detective agency, a lifelong dream of hers. Locals come to Pearl with all sorts of minor cases, but when a friend dies under suspicious circumstances, Pearl gets wrapped up in the case and finds herself butting heads with the dour new Detective Chief Inspector Mike McGuire (Howard Charles).

Fans of cozy mysteries set in quaint towns like Father Brown and Midsomer Murders are sure to fall in love with Whitstable Pearl. The show has a fantastic lead actor in Kerry Godliman, but the supporting and recurring characters are all extremely likable as well. Overall, the show is a fun and engaging mystery series that keeps things light.

Dublin Special Branch detective Theo Richter (Richard Pool) travels to Mt. Affinity, New Zealand, to investigate the disappearance of an Irish couple. Richter teams up with local detective Diana Huia (Acushla-Tara Kupe), attempting to gain the trust of the tight-knit, rural community in order to solve the case. But things are not as they seem in the quaint town, which harbors a dark history.

Critics have praised The Gone in particular for its storylines centering New Zealand’s native Māori, integrating Māori characters and culture in a way that some viewers have felt actually supercede the detective narrative. Overall, The Gone is incredibly entertaining and absorbing, with a great story and gorgeous New Zealand scenery to drink up.

Joe Pritchard (Iwan Rheon) is released from prison after serving nearly two decades for the murder of Ela Roberts. However, he has never revealed where her body is. When journalist and local Cat Donato (Alexandra Roach) returns to her hometown, she seeks to uncover the truth about her friend Ela’s death. Dogged in her search for answers, Cat’s presence may reveal even more secrets buried in the town.

This Welsh and English-language crime series takes an anthology approach in its highly anticipated second season return, focusing instead on a character from season one played by Sian Reese-Williams and an entirely new cast and story. Season one in particular was praised for its strong acting and emotionally rich storytelling.

After a church patron is discovered stabbed to death with a pair of pruning scissors, Canon Daniel Clement (Matthew Lewis), the church’s rector, becomes intimately intertwined with the investigation, digging into the mystery himself. In the sleepy little town with lots of hidden secrets, Clement begins receiving threats about his inquiries and wonders just who in his community he can trust.

Constantly engaging and surprising, Murder Before Evensong is a fantastic murder-mystery drama adapted from the Richard Coles novel of the same name. It is a fascinating look at how the murder of a member of a tight-knit community ripples outward and touches everyone. Agatha Christie lovers are sure to get wrapped up in this one.

28-year-old Detective Sergeant Matilda Stone (Olivia Vinall) has been assigned to the constabulary of her hometown in Wildermarsh, England, and it is there that she is reunited with her three aunts, Cat (Julie Graham), Beth (Sarah Woodward) and Jane (Siobhan Redmond). The three sisters also just happen to be crime-fiction novelists, and Matilda finds herself frequently collaborating with her aunts in order to solve “whodunit”-style murder cases.

Funny, quirky and sweet but also terrifically engrossing, Queens of Mystery is the perfect blend of mystery and humor that fans of the Knives Out film franchise will have a good time with. The characters are well-written and likable, and their stories constantly leave you guessing — and eager to throw on the next episode.

This gripping crime drama is based on the book series of the same name by Eric Axl Sund and stars award-winning actress Katherine Kelly (Coronation Street) as psychotherapist Dr. Sophia Craven. Craven and DCI Jeanette Kilburn (Eve Myles) team up to hunt a killer who is targeting young men. The twisted case takes the duo down a dark road as they seek to uncover the truth.

First available on Paramount+ back in January 2025, the series is unshakeably dour but manages to find moments of lightness amidst its ghastly subject matter. With exceptional pacing and style, The Crow Girl is a well-made work of crime thriller TV.

Midsomer Murders is based on the novels of the “Chief Inspector Barnaby” series by Caroline Graham, and has been running strong on ITV for nearly 30 years. It first starred John Nettles as DCI Tom Barnaby and then Neil Dudgeon as Tom’s younger cousin, John Barnaby, after Nettles’ retirement in 2011.

The show focuses on the murder cases that take place in the different small villages across a fictional English county of Midsomer, and the efforts of the senior detective and his partner to solve each crime. The series is notable for its sense of humor and lighter tone, seamlessly blending crime mystery and whimsy into a compelling (and long-lasting) staple of British television.

Successful L.A. lawyer Fiona (Alicia Silverstone) never knew her father, and for good reason — he left her and her mother when she was only a little girl. But when she receives a letter from the man she always resented and believed to be dead, she’s drawn to her ancestral homeland, Ireland, to find out what really happened to him. What Fiona discovers shocks her as she realizes her father wasn’t as bad — or simple — as she always believed him to be. But will uncovering secrets from the past endanger Fiona in the present?

Still known for her role as the “totally buggin” Cher in Clueless, Silverstone is surprisingly effective as Irish Blood’s heroine. She’s believable as a daughter slowly seeing her parents in a new light, and as an amateur detective digging up clues as to why her dad left them when she was only 10. Irish Blood is a curious blend of family drama and crime mystery — that it works as both makes it one of the best shows to watch in August on Acorn TV and any other streamer.

Irish Blood was just renewed for a second season, so expect more dark, family secrets and scenic Irish locales.

Those looking for a more grown-up version of beachy Prime Video shows like The Summer I Turned Pretty and We Were Liars should check out Summertide. After his wife’s death, Martin (Frank Rautenbach) returns to their childhood town in South Africa with his teenage children, Tristan (Jan Combrink) and Lucy (Evangelina Hallock), to heal old wounds and forge a new path. But Martin’s relationships with his family, particularly his younger brother Gavin (Tyrone Keogh), are fraught, and Tristan still pines for the girlfriend he left behind. Can Martin keep what’s left of his family together?

Summertide is like the South African version of Everwood, complete with a hunky single dad as the lead and angsty children who provide more than their share of drama. It never feels derivative, though, and that’s due to the effective performances from the entire cast and the beautiful locations. As summer ends, Summertide is the perfect show to watch to bid adieu to the season.

The British excel at making cozy crime mysteries where most of the violence occurs offscreen, and one of the best in the subgenre is The Madame Blanc Mysteries. The series chronicles the adventures of amateur sleuth Jean White (Sally Lindsay), who relocates to the South of France to investigate her husband’s mysterious death. After that is settled, she decides to stay and make a living as a detective. 

Season 4 just premiered in July and is already the show’s best yet. Madame Blanc, as the locals call her, has her hands full with a karate-chopping nemesis, a mystery involving stolen jewels and a slowly simmering romance with work partner Dom (Steve Edge). The show is more comedic than thrilling, and the gorgeous French locations make The Madame Blanc Mysteries the perfect summer escapist show to watch.  

Conall Ó Súilleabháin (Dónall Ó Héalai) is a detective who doesn’t see much crime in the small Northern Ireland town where he works and lives. That all changes when a woman’s body is discovered in the nearby boglands, and it’s soon revealed that the woman is Conall’s mother, Sabine, who disappeared over 15 years ago. Because of his personal connection to her, Conall is forbidden from working on the case, so he teams up with an amateur reporter, Ciara-Kate (Hannah Brady), to find out who killed her and why.

Boglands serves up everything you’d expect in a mystery series: a conflicted hero, a spunky sidekick, moody shots of mountains and trees and a suspense story that effectively generates enough tension to keep you glued to the screen. The show stands apart by being set in a remote part of Ireland few have seen, and the language spoken is Irish Gaelic, not English. That shouldn’t deter you from watching one of the best international mysteries released so far this year.

There are a lot of sitcoms about twentysomethings trying to make it in the big city, but they’re usually set in New York City. London Irish is different — as the name suggests, it’s about four Northern Irish friends living in London. “Living” is a bit of a stretch when it comes to the misadventures that Niamah (Kat Reagan), Packy (Peter Campion), Conor (Game of Thrones’ Kerr Logan) and Bronagh (Sinead Keenan) get up to, which involve lots of drinking and late-night hookups most of them come to regret in the morning. They’re barely getting by, and they rely on each other for support — or at least a buddy to drink with when no one else will.

London Irish is a comedy that goes for big, broad laughs, and it mostly gets them. A pre-Fleabag Phoebe Waller-Bridge shows up as a disturbed ex-girlfriend who is very fond of tying people up to get what she wants. The show only lasted one season, but the six episodes that were produced are a pleasure to watch. 

Robert Carmichael (Christopher Eccleston) is a retired police detective living in a remote part of England. Still haunted by the death of a witness he was assigned to protect years ago, he’s primarily a loner, which is why it’s surprising when he agrees to help shelter a family on the run from dangerous criminals. Robert is cold and strict, but when danger comes calling, he’s the only man who can save them from certain death.

Safe House is an under-the-radar thriller that boasts fine performances and a narrative that’s full of understated tension. Eccleston is terrific as the traumatized detective, and the first season has plenty of atmospheric visuals to get you in the mystery mood. The second season has a new cast led by True Blood’s Stephen Moyer and a different story with little connection to season 1. All eight episodes of Safe House are now streaming on Acorn TV.

Moyer is back, but this time, he’s investigating stolen paintings. Art Detectives is a new mystery show focused on the Heritage Crime Unit, a police department that specializes in crimes related to the art world. That sounds a bit dry, but rest assured, there are plenty of dead bodies and scandalous secrets just waiting to be discovered.

Detectives Mick Palmer (Moyer) and Shazia Malik (Nina Singh) tackle cases like elaborate art forgeries, stolen artifacts from the Titanic and, of course, murder. Art Detectives doesn’t skimp on the drama either, with Mick striking up a romance with a charismatic museum curator (Sarah Alexander) and Mick’s father, an infamous forger, complicating the detective’s professional and personal lives. 

Justine (Ella Lily Hyland) is a former tennis prodigy who unexpectedly runs into her old coach, Glenn (Aidan Turner), and his new student, Renee (Harmony Rose-Bremner), after they both won a major tournament. Justine believes Glenn sexually abused her while she was his student and makes that allegation public to prevent it from happening to Renee. But is Justine telling the whole truth? Or is her memory distorted by her present feelings of jealousy and resentment since her athletic career is over, while Glenn is still thriving?

Fifteen-Love is a sometimes disturbing six-episode drama about the close relationship between athletes and their coaches and how the boundaries between professional and personal lives are often blurred. Justine wants to right a wrong done to her years ago, and she must overcome resentment and indifference from the people around her. The series does a good job of making Justine a relatable heroine to root for — complicated and a little messy but always determined to do what’s right, even if it’s not what everyone else wants. 

Fifteen-Love begins streaming on Acorn TV on June 30. 

Nicci (Game Night‘s Sharon Horgan) and Andrew (Michael Sheen) love their 13-year-old daughter Marnie (Niamh Moriarty), but they are soon faced with a decision no parent wants to make — save her or let her die? Their daughter has a rare form of muscular dystrophy that requires constant care. When a life-threatening chest infection forces Marnie into an intensive care unit, her doctor questions whether she should continue treatment. Her life expectancy is short, and what time she has left will be filled with unbearable pain.

Best Interests is a heavy show with serious themes, posing a moral dilemma few viewers have experienced or considered. Known mostly for her comedic work in shows like Bad Sisters, Horgan is a revelation as a mother who instinctively fights for her child’s life. Sheen is just as terrific as a father who loves his daughter unconditionally, but questions whether Marnie’s continued suffering is what’s best for her. The show asks hard questions and doesn’t offer any easy answers, but it’s a compelling watch that will stay with you.

Harriet “Harry” Wild (Jane Seymour) is bored. That’s what happens when you’re a retired English professor with too much time on your hands and a lingering need for intellectual stimulation. She scratches her itch by solving crimes, which isn’t that out of the ordinary in the U.K. crime genre. Along with high school student Fergus (Rohan Nedd), Harry sets out to prove that there’s life after retirement — even if it involves finding a dead body or two.

Harry Wild is a great showcase for Seymour, who has her best TV role since Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman. As the inquisitive professor, the actress shows a good sense of humor when Harry encounters resistance to her newfound hobby from a police force reluctant to accept her help to her caring but dismissive son. Harry Wild’s first three seasons are streaming now, and a fourth one is on its way. Season 4 just premiered in early May, so there’s more wild adventures with Harry for you to enjoy.

You’ve heard of Hercule Poirot, Jane Marple and Sherlock Holmes, but do you know of Adam Dalgliesh? The British detective is fairly popular in his homeland but is still relatively unknown in America. That will hopefully change with Dalgliesh, a new crime series on Acorn TV. Acclaimed stage actor Bertie Carvel plays P.D. James’ cerebral sleuth as he investigates a series of mysteries set in the 1970s.

A brutal murder at a seminary, a politically-motivated crime among an upper-class family and a mystery involving an unusual hospital are just some of the cases Dalgliesh has to crack, and Carvel provides enough appeal to make you invested in the detective’s investigations. Like the novels it’s based on, Dalgliesh is more highbrow than your average crime show, but it provides the same thrills viewers expect from the genre. The show just aired its third season in 2024.

Alexa Crowe (Lucy Lawless) is a former detective who just wants to bake some bread in peace. But she can’t escape a life of crime and, before she knows it, she’s solving mysteries as a private investigator. She’s not alone, though — she’s supported by Reuben (Joe Naufahu), the owner of the cafe she bakes for in her spare time, her tech-savvy assistant Madison (Ebony Vagulans) and Kieran (Bernard Curry), a detective working at Alexa’s former station. As a group, they try to make Australia safe from crime while also cooking up some delicious pastries.

My Life is Murder is breezy fun that doesn’t take itself too seriously. Think of it as a modern-day Murder, She Wrote, only with Australian accents, the beautiful scenery of Melbourne and, in later seasons, Auckland. Lawless is terrific as a charismatic PI who is just as good with a blender as she is with her gun.

Can you go home again? That’s what Anais Mallory (Chelsie Preston Crayford) is about to find out as she returns to her native Queenstown to help her mother after the mysterious demise of her sister. Now a local detective, Anais has to solve the occasional crime, comfort her mother, avoid an ex-boyfriend now married to her best friend and also investigate her sister’s death. It’s a lot for anyone to handle, let alone someone as confident and intelligent as Anais. 

A Remarkable Place to Die is more solemn than most of the shows on this list. It treats murder and death seriously, so its tone is appropriately broody. That doesn’t mean it’s a downer, though, and the series is not unlike Mare of Easttown in how it balances exploring the lead character’s messy personal life with her impressive skills as a detective.

Leo (Iain Glen) is a celebrity chef who owns a hotel business in Cornwall, England, has a beautiful wife, Sam (Emilia Fox) and two children who actually like him. Heck, even his ex-wife, Gina (Dawn French), can’t resist him — literally, since they’re having an affair. Things get even more complicated when Leo suddenly dies, leaving his business to Gina and all his money to Sam. When both women find out the business is failing and there’s not much money left, they are faced with a dilemma: team up to survive or go their separate ways and fail.

It’s no surprise to reveal that Sam and Gina become business partners in an attempt to forge a life after Leo. Delicious has some dramatic elements, but it functions more as a lighthearted comedy. As the two enemies-turned-frenemies, French and Fox are superb at capturing each woman’s gradual reluctance to accept and respect the other. The show’s Cornwall setting is gorgeous and frequently distracts from all the drama that’s going on. (We’re not complaining.)