‘THIS IS NOT A MURDER MYSTERY’: SEE NEW ACORN TV DROP
A new drop on Acorn TV, This is Not a Murder Mystery is a mostly good time that also plays into a sense of humor.
This Is Not a Murder Mystery (2026) Acorn TV Review
At a lavish country estate, a surrealist group receive an invitation to gather for a “groundbreaking” exhibition that seems to promise good entertainment. Their patron is Lord James (Aoibhinn McGinnity) and the year is 1936. Among those who gather is René Magritte (Pierre Gervais), a young man known for his artistic bent as a Surrealist. Among the guests is also Salvador Dalí (Iñaki Mur) and Lee Miller (Florence Hall).
Then, all of the guests become trapped when next to René lies a dead body leading the police, including DCI Thistlewaite (Stephen Tompkinson) and DC Quant (Donna Banya) to keep the guests confined to the estate.
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‘THIS IS NOT A MURDER MYSTERY’: SEE NEW ACORN TV DROP. Share on XThis is one of those series that I had heard of but knew next to nothing about. It takes characters who did live in the past and creates this kind of fictional, or seemingly so, idea to bring them all together. The opening alludes to this by saying that the show is inspired by real events and people but warns the viewer not to believe everything they see. And this seems to be the hook. Knowing nothing about these people, I would assume that this is also relatively accurate.
This series also immediately tosses us into this story before we know anyone which makes things feel harried and confusing. But perhaps this is purposeful. The series, as a storytelling device, relies on René looking back on what happens as if he’s watching what he did as an observer. I’m not sure how this will play out, but if you like titles like Outrageous (though it’s not a mystery) or 1930s drama that really leans into the historical stereotype of the 1930s being for the wild things, well then, you may very well enjoy this.
The cast seems good and I the way this plays in what appears to be accurate costumes and modern influences. The series also seems, based on the little I’ve read, to create pictures that recreate famous art. If you’re not into this style of mystery or period drama, then This is Not a Murder Mystery may not be your cup of tea. But if you like the slightly “wilder” age, well then, this colorful series may be something you’d enjoy.
Stream, at publication, episode one of This is Not a Murder Mystery with Acorn TV. Stream weekly episodes through October and into November when the finale will drop.
Photos: Acorn TV
Content: This one seems like a series that will lean into the content a TV-MA rating can come with. It teases the idea of “open” relationships and affairs; how much of this will be seen or implied remains to be seen. There is drug use which is treated casually.
