As the fog rolls off the Thames and settles over the quaint quays of Marlow, one might think this idyllic Buckinghamshire town—famed for its lock houses, literary ghosts, and lock-free river locks—would be content with its postcard perfection. But no, dear readers: Marlow is a hotbed of hushed scandals and hidden daggers, and the indomitable sleuths of The Marlow Murder Club are back to unearth them. In a announcement that’s got cozy crime aficionados toasting with tea (or something stronger), MASTERPIECE on PBS has officially greenlit Season 3 of the hit series, set to premiere in early 2026. Filming wrapped in late September after a sun-dappled summer shoot that captured the town’s blooming borders and bustling high street, promising six episodes of fiendishly clever whodunits. Creator Robert Thorogood, the mastermind behind Death in Paradise‘s sun-soaked sleuthing, has adapted his 2024 novel The Queen of Poisons for the first two episodes, blending arsenic-laced intrigue with the club’s signature wit. “These women don’t just solve crimes,” Thorogood quipped in a recent interview. “They rewrite the rulebook—crossword-style.”

For the uninitiated (and if you’re in that boat, remedy it posthaste with Seasons 1 and 2 on PBS Passport), The Marlow Murder Club is a delectable distillation of Agatha Christie’s elegance meets Richard Osman’s cheeky ensemble antics. Adapted from Thorogood’s bestselling novels, the series follows three unlikely allies in the sleepy (yet suspiciously stabby) town of Marlow: Judith Potts (Samantha Bond), a retired archaeologist and crossword compiler whose mind is sharper than a Roman spade; Suzie Harris (Jo Martin), a no-nonsense dog walker with a nose for nonsense and a lead on every local lead; and Becks Starling (Cara Horgan), the vicar’s wife whose posh polish hides a poker player’s bluff. When a splashy splash in the river turns into a splash of blood in Season 1, these septuagenarian gumshoes form an ad-hoc club to crack the case—much to the chagrin of DCI Tanika Malik (Natalie Dew), the straight-laced detective who starts as skeptic and ends as reluctant recruit.

Season 1, which bowed in the UK on U&DRAMA in March 2024 before charming PBS audiences later that year, adapted Thorogood’s debut novel with a locked-room flair: a decapitated neighbor, a pilfered painting, and a killer hiding in plain sight amid Marlow’s manicured lawns. Critics swooned over its “effervescent ensemble chemistry” (The Guardian) and “puzzle-box plotting that tickles the grey cells” (The Times), earning a 92% on Rotten Tomatoes and drawing 4.2 million UK viewers for its finale. Season 2, airing from March 2025 in the UK and hitting PBS in August, upped the ante with three standalone tales: a posh poisoning in a paneled study, a cul-de-sac corpse with culprits galore, and a sailing club slaying that sinks ships and secrets alike. Guest stars like EastEnders alumna Gillian Wright and Doctor Who‘s Bernard Cribbins-lite Phil Davis added sparkle, while the core quartet’s banter—Judith’s dry quips, Suzie’s street smarts, Becks’ social savvy—kept the heart humming. “It’s Midsomer Murders with menopause and mischief,” one PBS viewer tweeted, capturing the blend of bodies-in-the-library and belly laughs.

Now, Season 3 beckons with the kind of promise that has fans furiously refreshing PBS.org and brewing endless Earl Grey. The six-episode arc unfolds as three self-contained mysteries, each a two-parter laced with red herrings and river views. Kicking off with The Queen of Poisons, Thorogood’s third novel, the premiere sees Marlow’s affable mayor, Geoffrey Lushington, keel over mid-council meeting—his coffee cup laced with aconite, the infamous “queen of poisons” derived from monkshood flowers blooming innocently in local gardens. Who’d off the town’s teddy bear of a leader? A disgruntled developer eyeing the high street? A spurned spouse with a grudge older than the Compleat Angler pub? Or perhaps the vicarage’s own whispered woes? As Judith deciphers cryptic clues (including a crossword that doubles as a confession), Suzie sniffs out shady alibis among the allotments, and Becks charms confessions from cocktail parties, the club grapples with a poisoner who’s as elusive as Thames fog. “It’s impossible crimes in an impossible paradise,” Thorogood teased on a PBS podcast. “Marlow’s mayor was the nicest chap alive—killing him? That’s motive without a map.”

The subsequent stories, penned by a rotating roster of scribes including Vera‘s Sally Eden and Shakespeare & Hathaway‘s Paul Logue, promise equal parts peril and pint-sized peril. Episode 3-4 plunges into a celebrity chef’s demise at his cookbook launch—half of Marlow noshing noshables when he chokes on more than his own hype—unearthing kitchen conspiracies and catering cartels. The finale (5-6) drifts to the boatyard, where a “boating accident” unravels into a web of watery grudges, from lock-keepers’ feuds to flotilla frauds. Throughout, the club operates under DI Malik’s newly promoted wing, their “unconventional methods” now semi-official but no less eyebrow-raising. Expect cameos from Andor‘s Denise Gough as a glamorous gallery owner and Doctor Who‘s Mandip Gill in a guest spot that nods to Martin’s Whovian roots, plus Holli Dempsey, Phill Langhorne, and Tijan Sarr reprising their series-regular support. “The chemistry’s carbonated,” director Beryl Laverick said of the shoot. “These women could solve the Sphinx’s riddles over scones.”

Filming, which spanned from June to September 2025, transformed Marlow into a sun-kissed suspect board once more. Crews commandeered the High Street’s indie boutiques for stakeouts, the Swan’s riverside terrace for tense teas, and All Saints Church for Becks’ vicarage vignettes. Local extras—real Marlovians with tall tales to match—dotted the backgrounds, while the production’s eco-pledge (zero-waste catering, electric punts) earned nods from the town’s green council. Thorogood, a Marlow resident himself, consulted with Thames Valley Police for procedural polish and the Royal Horticultural Society for poison plausibility. “Aconite’s no joke—it’s in every hedgerow here,” he noted. “But our killers? They’re the real weeds.” Post-wrap parties at the Compleat Angler featured cryptic crosswords and club-themed cocktails (“The Judith Julep,” anyone?), with Bond leading a raucous rendition of “By Order of the Murder Club.”

The renewal, announced in May 2025 amid Season 2’s UK buzz, feels like a foregone conclusion for a series that’s become PBS’s cozy crown jewel. Executive producer Susanne Simpson beamed, “Our viewers crave the heart and humor—Judith’s gang delivers both in spades.” UKTV’s Claire Hookway echoed, “Marlow’s mysteries are Marlovian magic; we’re thrilled to keep the club in commission.” Monumental Television’s Debra Hayward, who’s shepherded the show since inception, hailed the “brilliant women” at its core: “From script to screen, it’s a sisterhood of sleuths.” Indeed, in an era of gritty Line of Duty knockoffs and Nordic noir gloom, The Marlow Murder Club shines as unapologetically uplifting—empowering its over-50 heroines to outwit, outpace, and outpun the patriarchy without breaking a sweat (or a teacup).

The cast’s return is a masterstroke of continuity and charisma. Samantha Bond, 63, channels Judith’s intellectual imperiousness with the poise of her Downton Abbey days, but laced with a wry vulnerability that makes her more than a Miss Marple redux. “Judith’s my spirit animal—curious to a fault,” Bond shared at a BFI Q&A. Jo Martin, fresh from Doctor Who‘s seismic regeneration, infuses Suzie with earthy empathy and elbow grease; her dog’s antics (shoutout to scene-stealer Badger) add four-legged farce. Cara Horgan, 42, nails Becks’ buttoned-up brilliance, her Traitors treachery training her for tea-time interrogations. Natalie Dew’s Tanika evolves from foil to friend, her promotion in Season 3 signaling a squad dynamic that’s equal parts The Golden Girls and The Wire. “We’re not amateurs anymore,” Dew joked. “But we’ll always be accidental icons.”

Fan fervor has fueled the franchise’s fire. Social media’s ablaze with #MarlowMurderClub memes—crossword grids hiding corpse clues, dog-walker Suzie Photoshopped into Sherlock—and viewing figures that spiked 25% for Season 2’s U.S. debut. Reddit’s r/CozyMysteries subreddit hosts “club meetings” dissecting plots, while TikTok tutorials on “Marlow-Style Sleuthing” (complete with flat caps and fingerprint kits) have racked up millions. Book sales for Thorogood’s series surged 40% post-premiere, with The Queen of Poisons topping Sunday Times charts in 2024. “It’s the anti-True Detective,” one X user posted. “Sunlit sins, solved by sundown, with scones.” Even Marlow’s tourism board cashed in, launching “Murder Club Trails” that guide gawkers to filming spots—book early, lest you stumble on a prop body.

Thorogood’s trajectory from Death in Paradise scribe (200+ episodes, endless emeralds) to cozy kingpin underscores the genre’s golden age. After penning The Marlow Murder Club during a pandemic pivot—”I craved English eccentricity over island idylls”—he shopped the adaptation to UKTV and MASTERPIECE, who bit faster than a Thames pike. The novels, now at four (with a fifth, Death Knells in Marlow, teased for 2026), blend locked-room logic with life-affirming levity, their septuagenarian stars subverting ageist tropes. “These women are vital because they’re visible,” Thorogood told Radio Times. “Marlow’s murders mirror midlife messes—reinvention, rivalry, redemption.” Season 3 leans harder into that, with arcs exploring Judith’s solo swim solitude, Suzie’s stray-dog sanctuary dreams, and Becks’ baby-bird nesting instincts.

As 2026 looms, The Marlow Murder Club cements its status as essential escapism: a tonic for true-crime fatigue, a balm for binge-burnout. In Marlow’s mirror-maze of motives, where every boater’s a suspect and every bloom a bane, these club ladies remind us that mystery isn’t just murder—it’s the magic of minds meeting over malice. Tune in come spring, kettle on, clues at the ready. The queen of poisons may reign, but in Marlow, the real venom? It’s the thrill of the chase. By order of the club, the game’s afoot—and it’s fiercer than ever.