Plot Synopsis

DI Max Arnold lives on a houseboat on the Thames, in Chelsea, after separating from his art dealer wife Astrid, just yards from some of the most valuable real estate in Europe. Chelsea is a beautiful borough for beautiful people, but it has a dark underside of deprivation, violence, greed -- and murder. Bodies have a way of showing up, and things are rarely what they seem, but Max's determination and acuity mean he'll find a way to root out the truth and bring those responsible to justice -- regardless of their wealth or status. Max has assistance in his investigations from his partner, no-nonsense DS Priya Shamsie. THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE made its U.S. debut on Monday, March 7, 2022 on Acorn TV. The series made its linear television debut in the U.S. on Monday, August 28, 2023 at 11pm ET/PT on BBC America -- the same day Season 2 dropped on Acorn TV.

Season 2 of THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE debuted on Monday, August 26, 2023 on Acorn TV, which released the first of four feature-length episodes. A new installment dropped each week through September 18. This season, London's richest borough hides a dark side that DI Max Arnold knows all too well. Killers lurk among the art galleries and luxury homes, and it's up to DI Arnold and new partner Layla Walsh to expose them. Guest stars this season include Rachael Stirling who stars as gallery owner Rebekah Chaban in the season premiere, as well as Simon Williams who portrays nursing home resident Maurice Swift in the second episode. In the season opener, "The Blue Room," when an art gallery manager is strangled 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.
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On Monday, December 16, 2024, Acorn TV released "Everyone Loves Chloe," THE CHELSEA DETECTIVE's Season 3 Christmas special. Chloe Carmichael, former popstar and one-time darling of the tabloids, is found dead in her Chelsea mansion flat in the days leading up to Christmas. They first suspect a drug overdose, but forensics soon establishes that Chloe had been drowned in the bath. Max and the team must contend with a string of potential suspects, including her hard- bitten manager, a conniving journalist and a Tory MP. Each of them has a secret connecting them to Chloe, but who was it that killed her?

The rest of CHELSEA DETECTIVE's third season will debut in 2025. In Season 3, DI Max Arnold and DS Layla Walsh delve once more into the murky crimes of glamorous Chelsea. In addition to the tragic death of a 2000s pop star, the team investigates the discovery of an ex-soldiers body in an allotment, the brutal murder of an antique dealer, and the mysterious case of a climate scientist found dead in a stolen car. If that wasn't enough to contend with, things at home aren't much simpler for the investigating duo either. Max tries a new approach in his personal life as he embarks on couples therapy with his estranged wife, Astrid. Meanwhile, Layla is still accustomed to living in London, while her partner, Jon, is in Exeter. They might be enjoying their independent lives now but will discover that navigating a long-distance relationship can be trickier than they first thought.