Vancouver’s own Sara Canning guest stars on BC mystery series Murder in a Small Town.
She plays one of the victims of a bear attack on hikers that left one of them dead, but Karl Alberg has doubts that the bear did it.
The mystery:
Trust but Verify – Karl and the team investigate a reported bear attack, leading to questions about foul play due to inconsistent stories; Karl’s daughter and friend continue to work on solving their own case.
Adapted from characters in L.R. Wright’s Alberg Mystery series, Murder in a Small Town follows big city cop Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland), who moves to the small town of Gibsons to become its police chief and is surprised to find there is more drama than expected in this quiet coastal community.
After hitting it off with local librarian Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk), Karl struggles to balance his budding romance with his job of solving murders.
How did season one end?
A multiple-episode serial killer arc in season one ended with the revelation that local art teacher Tommy Cummins (Schitt’s Creek star Noah Reid) was the culprit.
Karl and Cassandra kissed and made up in the final moments, although there will be conflict going forward — Cassandra will be elected to the town council and that will put her at odds professionally with her boyfriend at times.
What’s ahead in season 2?
In the second season, Karl’s jurisdiction expands, and he has to contend with an increased caseload and limited resources, investigating cases like a body found at a local wedding between members of two feuding families; a double kidnapping that may mask an even bigger crime; a pop star who retreated to Gibsons for a quiet vacation only to be followed by a dangerous stalker; and many more.
The machiavellian Mayor Christie Holman (Marcia Gay Harden) pits new councilwoman Cassandra against police chief Karl to advance her own agenda.
Mayor Christie Holman (Marcia Gay Harden) is a beloved figure in the community and also a consummate political operator. She’s still a practicing doctor and has the best interests of the people of Gibsons at heart, but sometimes she lets her personal interests take precedence. She will complicate life for Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk), as she uses the competing priorities of the community to advance her own agenda. — Variety.
Karl’s professional life as police chief becomes more stressful as the Mayor expects him to takes on an expanded district — investigating serious crimes in four new towns along the 150-mile Sunshine Coast Highway . The increased workload puts pressure on him and his staff.
I have four new towns to cover — Karl Alberg.
In season 2, we’ll learn more about Karl’s past, especially his artist mother and his father. And we’ll learn more about Cassandra’ Lee’s past, as well as supporting characters like Sergeant Sid Sokolowski (Aaron Douglas) and his family, police receptionist Isabella Harbud (Savanna Spracklin) and Corporal Edwina Yen (Myra Lowe).
And we meet Corporal Laila Jackson (Bethany Brown), Alberg’s former coworker who joins Gibsons PD and medical examiner Angela Clybrun (Marci T. House), plus Todd (Joshua Close), an unhoused man in Gibsons who becomes connected to a crime.
Guest stars:
Camryn Manheim as Jocelyn Tait, an iron-tough, working-class matriarch who has lived her life in the shadow of a family feud and comes to Gibsons for a Romeo & Juliet-style wedding;
Malcolm-Jamal Warner as a protective father accused of killing his ex-wife.
Tyler Posey as Ryan Cooga, a former party boy-turned-holistic health aficionado trying to escape his past.
Sara Canning as Mackenzie Rankin, who organizes a memorial after the death of her sister.
Jamie Chung, as Lanni Soo, a prosecutor who’s “career-driven and straight-forward” and brings a case to Karl;
There is going to be a season-long mystery in Season 2, which will involve more than one killing. . . . both Karl and Cassandra will be kind of tracking it from different angles . . .There is going to be a little bit of a, ‘”Wait, this one and this one, which are unsolved over the last 10 years, kind of tie together” and it’s a bit of a surprise who the baddie is.”– executive producer Jeff Wachtel told TV Insider..
Murder in a Small Town Season 2:
Gibsons BC filming dates: February 24 2025 – June 13 2025.
Showrunner:: Ian Weir.
Cast: Rossif Sutherland, Kristin Kreuk, Marcia Gay Harden, Aaron Douglas, Mya Lowe, Savonna Sprackli, Fritzy-Klevans Destine, Bethany Brown, Marci T. House, Joshua Close, Fiona Vroom, Dakota Guppy, Alisha Newton.
Guest stars: Camryn Manheim, Malcolm-Jamal Warner, Tyler Posey, Sara Canning, Jamie Chung.
Producers: Sepia Films ,Future Shack. Fox Entertainment,