Warning: spoilers are ahead for Episode 2 of Murder in a Small Town, called "Fall From Grace."
Murder in a Small Town got off to a supersized start in the 2024 TV schedule with a 90-minute premiere event, and "Fall From Grace" was the new crime drama's first episode that fit within the one-hour time slot on Fox. While the premiere made it clear enough that the Kristin Kreuk and Rossif Sutherland-starring series wasn't going to just be another crime procedural and neatly avoided the frustrations of a will-they/won't they dynamic, I wasn't entirely sold on this being a totally different kind of series like the stars previewed to CinemaBlend. Well, "Fall From Grace" has changed my mind!
Alums from the local Gibsons high school were pouring into town in "Fall From Grace" for a reunion event that was open to former students of all ages, which of course included Cassandra (Kreuk). Already roped into attending, she persuaded Alberg (Sutherland) to be her date, but the festivities took a criminal turn when a man was murdered after an affair was uncovered. The duties of his job got in the way of their romantic night out, but the case was ultimately closed and Cassandra accepted Alberg's apology.
And it was the high school reunion/prom date banter between Cassandra and Alberg in their scenes together that really sold me on what sets Murder in a Small Town apart from other shows in the crime genre. The episode (which will be available streaming with a Hulu subscription) didn't feel like it was contriving a way to involve Cassandra in the case of the week, but Cassandra definitely isn't just the love interest to a leading man. They're two very different characters with largely separate lives who are choosing each other, and that's not something that you see on NCIS or Law & Order.
Seeing what Cassandra and Alberg are like in a normal episode as opposed to a premiere event had me flashing back to when I spoke to the two stars about everything from their characters as soul mates to why Sutherland originally wasn't interested in joining the show. I'd asked what they'd say sets Murder in a Small Town apart from other crime shows, and Kreuk responded:
Our show, obviously, like you said, it's a crime show. There's a crime an episode on the whole and the characters of the cast are cops and they solve the crimes, but that isn't the crux of the show. The show is different, and it is about the relationship. I play a librarian who is not involved in the crimes, and so there lives a pulse, a heartbeat between the characters. And the town itself is also an important part of the series.
Having watched many crime dramas over the years and planning on watching plenty in this fall's TV lineup, part of me just assumed that the crimes of the week would somehow always require Alberg to consult local librarian Cassandra for the key to crack the case, but the second episode really established that they can each anchor their own separate stories as co-leads. The former Smallville cast member went on:
Sometimes I feel like crime procedurals are satisfying and that they live in plot, and they're really figuring it out and the satisfaction of the solve is beautiful. But on our show, we're also living in the relationship and in a love story that is really heartfelt, and I hope honest between these two characters in their 40s.
Crime procedurals are massively successful as a genre; the Law & Order franchise alone goes back almost 35 years and has spanned seven different shows, and that's only one example. As Law & Order: SVU and Organized Crime fans who have been holding out hope that for the lead characters to get together since 1999 can attest, however, relationships are rarely the focus of a standard crime show. That's not the case with Murder in a Small Town. Rossif Sutherland also weighed in on what sets the new Fox series apart:
This is the type of show where all of the crew, all of us, had to relocate. They always say the crews become families, but we were all sharing the same home, making this new place our home, showing up for work every single day, and excited to bring this to life. It was a very unique experience, and lots of friendships were made. And I think what ends up on screen, a lot of it was happening when the camera wasn't rolling, and this was a very special experience for a lot of people.
Murder in a Small Town of course isn't set in a huge city like New York, Los Angeles, or Washington, D.C., so it's different from other shows in a very fundamental way. It remains to be seen if the show can sustain itself by packing so much crime into such an idyllic small town, but I'm optimistic after the latest episode. Plus, the next episode is bringing in an alum from another crime show focusing on a pair of leads: Stana Katic of Castle fame. Take a look at the promo:
Tune in to Fox on Monday, October 8 for the third episode of Murder in a Small Town as it moves into the 9 p.m. ET time slot that will be its primetime home this season. It will follow Accused at 8 p.m. ET, which returns with its Season 2 premiere on October 8.
