Monday nights can be kind of boring, especially as summer turns into fall, so the return of The Chelsea Detective is very welcome indeed. Acorn TV's fan favorite crime drama, which premiered in 2022, is coming back for four feature-length episodes premiering on consecutive Mondays from August 28.
It's a series filled with stunning London scenery – including the super-cute houseboat where lead character DI Max Arnold lives – and plenty of intrigue. Ahead of the new series premiere Monday, August 28 on Acorn TV, here's everything you need to know about this addicting drama series created by Peter Fincham, whose previous credits includes the iconic British shows I'm Alan Partridge and Smack the Pony. 
It's set in one of London's fanciest neighborhoods.
Situated just 3-4km from the city center, Chelsea is an affluent district synonymous with upper-class Brits. "Sloane Ranger," a reference to Sloane Square, a well-known Chelsea landmark, is a colloquial term used to describe young aristocratic folks who lived there in the 1970s and 1980s. The late Diana, Princess of Wales was probably the most famous Sloane Ranger of all.
Other famous Chelsea destinations include King's Road, a sprawling shopping street that was home to Dame Vivienne Westwood's Sex boutique in the 1970s. These days, it's more posh than punky, and you'll find upmarket chain stores next to fancy cafés and cozy pubs. This is the world that The Chelsea Detective invites us into – one where "killers lurk among the art galleries and luxury homes." It's glamorous and dangerous in equal measure.

It stars the awesome Adrian Scarborough.
Scarborough plays Detective Inspector Max Arnold, a savvy and successful detective who is au fait with Chelsea's semi-hidden dark side. You may know Scarborough from BBC America's award-winning Killing Eve, in which he plays Raymond, a former handler of Jodie Comer's Villanelle.
This prolific British actor may also be familiar from Gavin & Stacey, Upstairs Downstairs, and Sanditon. Discussing his The Chelsea Detective character with The Mystery Tribune in 2022, Scarborough said: "He has his foibles, that’s for sure. I think he's a self-indulgent melancholic myself. And he has an addiction to coffee rather than booze."
Scarborough has also described the series as "quirky and a little bit odd," adding: "At times I think it’s quite funny and at other times it’s very, very serious."
It co-stars the fantastic Vanessa Emme, who joins the show in Season 2.
She plays DI Arnold's new colleague, Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh, who has joined the Chelsea police force after a spell working in the English countryside. You may recognize Emme from the hit fantasy series A Discovery of Witches, which is available to watch on AMC+, and Bloodlands, a crime drama set in Northern Ireland that you can watch on Acorn TV. 
Emme's other credits include episodes on Manhunt, a true crime drama available to watch on Acorn TV, and Midsomer Murders, the long-running British police procedural that you can also check out on Acorn TV. 
Look out, too, for Frances Barber. 
Barber is a former Doctor Who guest star who has a main role in Whitstable Pearl, a cozy crime drama that has also become a fan favorite on Acorn TV. In The Chelsea Detective, she plays DI Arnold's formidable Aunt Olivia. It's a role that sounds right up Barber's street: she generally plays characters you wouldn't want to mess with.

You'll get a cyclist's view of the city.
That's because DI Max Arnold loves to get around London on his bike. "The views up and down the Thames from that particular bit of Chelsea are really spectacular," Scarborough told The British TV Place in 2022. He also noted that the lovely riverside scenery is "very much a part of the show."
You can whet your appetite for Season 2 by checking out the official plot teasers for each new episode below. And in the meantime, you can catch up with Season 1 of The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV and check out the Summer of Mystery collection on AMC+. It features an array of series and movies that will really test your powers of deduction, including Dark Winds, Deadwater Fell, and Spy City.
Episode 201 – "The Blue Room" – Premieres Monday, August 28 on Acorn TV
When an art gallery manager is stabbed during the robbery of an exhibition, it appears he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. But as the team delve into the elite world of Chelsea’s art scene, Max soon wonders if the victim was an accomplice.
Episode 202 – "Golden Years" – Premieres Monday, September 4 on Acorn TV
A woman at a luxury retirement home dies mysteriously, and with no signs of forced entry, suspicion falls on the staff and residents. But tensions within her family point to another cause, harking back to their time in Apartheid-era South Africa.
Episode 203 – “The Reliable Witness” – Premieres Monday, September 11 on Acorn TV
The most likely culprit in the murder of a psychotherapist is an ex-patient with a history of erratic behavior. As the team dig into the therapist’s personal life, they uncover disturbing revelations that cast a new light on his killing.
Episode 204 – "A Crime of Passion" – Premieres Monday, September 18 on Acorn TV
Jack Felton, the charming owner of a fruit and vegetable delivery company, is found stabbed at home in what looks like a frenzied attack. The detectives must unravel romantic jealousies, family conflicts, and business rivalries to nab the killer.