‘Magpie Murders’: Release Date, Cast, Episode Count, and More for New PBS Series
A best-selling author dies under strange circumstances, and the last chapter of his just-completed manuscript is missing. The new PBS series Magpie Murders is a mystery-within-a-mystery that follows the investigation into the death of Alan Conway while also unraveling the question of what happens in his final book. Here’s what you need to know about the new series, which has already won praise from audiences in the U.K., where it debuted earlier this year on BritBox.
‘Magpie Murders’ premieres October 16 on PBS
Magpie Murders premieres Sunday, October 16 at 9 p.m. ET on PBS, right after the premiere of Miss Scarlet and the Duke Season 2. There are six episodes, which will air weekly through November 20.
When Alan Conway turns up dead, he leaves behind two mysteries. What happened to him, and what happened to the final chapter of his latest book? He’s handed his manuscript over to his long-time editor Susan Ryeland, whom Alan resented for the way she steered him away from writing more challenging literature. But the last chapter is missing, much to Susan’s frustration.
Stuck with a manuscript she can’t publish, Susan begins to investigate. As she digs into both Alan’s life and his last novel, she discovers that some of the characters in the 1950s-set book are based on people he knew. As Susan tries to find the last chapter of Magpie Murders, a parallel storyline follows Atticus Pünd, Alan’s fictional detective, as he works to unravel the mystery in Alan’s last book.
It stars Lesley Manville and Conleth Hill
Oscar-nominee Lesley Manville plays Susan in Magpie Murders. Game of Thrones alum Conleth Hill portrays Alan. Tim McMullen plays Atticus Pünd.
The cast also includes Michael Maloney as Alan’s publisher Charles Clover. Alexander Logothetis plays Susan’s lover Andreas and Claire Rushbrook is her sister Katie. Both Andreas and Katie knew Alan when he was struggling teacher with dreams of becoming a successful writer.
Several actors play dual roles in Magpie Murders. Daniel Mays plays Detective Superindent Locke in the present-day and the dull-witted D.I. Chubb in the parts of the story drawn from Alan’s book. Matthew Beard plays Alan’s lover James Taylor and Pünd’s sidekick James Fraser. Pippa Haywood plays Claire, Alan’s underachieving sister, and Clarissa, the sister of the novel’s murder victim Sir Magnus Pyle (Lorcan Cranitch).
Author Anthony Horowitz has he hopes there’s a ‘Magpie Murders’ Season 2
Magpie Murders is based on a book of the same name by Anthony Horowitz. He’s also written a sequel, titled Moonflower Murders, and has expressed interest in a second season of Magpie Murders based on that book.
“Moonflower Murders, here we come,” Horowitz said during a Q&A prior to the show’s U.K. premiere, RadioTimes reported. “It’s already been brilliantly narrated on audio by one Lesley Manville as it happens and I am very, very hopeful. I’m waiting to get started.”
So far, there’s been no word on whether Magpie Murders will return for season 2. However, it sounds like a decision might hinge on how the show performs in the U.S.
“We’re just waiting for transmission, for it to go out on BritBox and PBS,” executive producer Jill Green said. “They’re both very excited, the financiers, and we’re really hoping [it will get the green light].”
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