Murder In A Small Town Renewed For Season 3 At Fox, Peter Gallagher Joins Cast
"Murder in a Small Town" lives on: The Fox crime procedural has been renewed for Season 3 and has added Peter Gallagher ("The O.C.") as a series regular, the network announced on Thursday.
Based on L.R. Wright's series of novels, "Murder in a Small Town" follows Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland), a former big-city police officer who, seeking a change of pace, moves to the idyllic town of Gibsons to take over as police chief. After hitting it off with local librarian Cassandra Lee (Kristin Kreuk), Karl must juggle his budding romance with the slew of murders that continue to plague the quaint coastal community.
Gallagher joins the Season 3 cast as Rod Finlayson, a charismatic, uber-independent, capable yet unreliable figure, whose arrival at the Gibsons' marina on his beloved boat sets up a sequence of upheavals that Alberg and Cassandra will have to grapple with.
When we last visited Gibsons in Season 2, we saw the central Karl/Cassandra relationship slowly hum along, before delivering a finale twist: Karl asked Cassandra to marry him. At first, Cassandra thought it was a joke. Karl, after all, did first phrase the question as a hypothetical: "Could you see yourself marrying me?" But then Karl really asked it, as straightforward as possible: "Will you marry me?" But all he got in return was a strained look from his girlfriend as his daughter watched from the doorway.
Though the episode concluded before viewers got to hear a real answer from Cassandra, executive producer Ian Weir assured TVLine that it was "impossible" to even consider breaking the couple up in Season 3.
Deadline was the first to report the renewal news.
What else has been renewed at Fox?
Heading into the 2026-27 TV season, "Murder in a Small Town" joins Fox's scripted slate, which includes returning series "American Dad!" (Seasons 21-23), "Animal Control" (Season 5), "Best Medicine" (Season 2), "Bob's Burgers" (Seasons 17-19), "Doc" (Season 3), "Family Guy" (Seasons 25-27), "Grimsburg" (Season 3), "Krapopolis" (Seasons 4-5), "Memory of a Killer" (Season 2), "The Simpsons" (Seasons 38-40), and "Universal Basic Guys" (Season 3).
Not returning are the Denis Leary military comedy "Going Dutch" (canceled after two seasons) and the adult animated comedy "The Great North" (canceled after five seasons).
New series pickups include "Baywatch" (a continuation of the 1990s lifeguard drama led by Stephen Amell) and "The Interrogator" (a spy drama created by and starring Stephen Fry).
TVLine's handy Renewal Scorecard has been updated to reflect the news.
Are you happy to stay in Gibsons for more "Murder in a Small Town"? Hit the comments below to share your thoughts on the renewal news.