Upamanyu Biswas
‘Murder in a Small Town’ is a mystery show that revolves around police chief Karl Alberg, a former big city detective who moves to a small town on the Sunshine Coast to free his psyche from the toil of urban crimes. However, upon moving to the idyllic locality, Karl finds it brimming with its own share of dark secrets, murders, and intrigue that keep him on his toes. As he handles a multitude of complicated cases, matters of his personal life come to the fore as he starts a relationship with a local librarian named Cassandra Mitchell, who has her own say on matters.
Created by Ian Weir, the crime detective narrative utilizes the quaint seaside town of Gibsons to contrast the numerous dark mysteries faced by the protagonist, which constantly disrupts its otherwise quiet and peaceful existence. As such, Alberg’s deduction skills and his dedication to solving meticulous puzzle-like crimes help him stay one step ahead. The FOX show marries an intriguing procedural premise with intricate interpersonal storytelling, helping build a sense of attachment to the characters while also navigating some murky waters. It lends a sense of groundedness to the story, prompting a look into the show’s inspiration and its basis.
Murder in a Small Town is an Adaptation of a Mystery Novel Series
‘Murder in a Small Town’ is a fictional story based on the nine-book series of novels about detective Karl Alberg written by L.R. Wright. The show is penned by Ian Weir, Sherry White, Leonard Dick, Dennis Heaton, Jennifer Kennedy, and Sarah Kelley and dives into the exploits of the police protagonist whose hopes of a tranquil existence in a small town are shattered by a slew of complicated crimes. Initially, the show’s creator, Ian Weir, was hired to adapt ‘The Suspect,’ the first book in the series by L.R. Wright. At the time, Weir was a young man with his project linked to Donald Sutherland, who was attached to play the character of George Wilcox, the prime suspect in the crime. However, almost three decades later, the idea for the movie was transformed into a TV show instead.
In a press statement, Michael Thorn, the President of Scripted Programming of Fox Entertainment, said, “Ian has done a masterful job bringing L.R. Wright’s seminal detective Karl Alberg to life, finding his perfect alter ego, Rossif Sutherland, to star on screen alongside Kristin Kreuk.” Like the adaptation, the original source material unearths the mysteries lurking in the small town of Gibson, where ominous elements lurk in the shadows.
In an interview from the spring of 2000, author L.R. Wright explained her inspiration when coming up with the first novel in the series. She said, “I’d had an idea. I was having a conversation with some friends and we were talking about the old people in our lives and the things they were up to. And somebody had left their husband and moved in with someone else and they were in their 70s and we said: You think they’d know better. And somebody said: I guess what we’re capable of as young people we’re capable of when we’re old. I’ll bet they’re just as capable of murder, even. I immediately had this vision of a little old man whacking another little old man over the head. And I thought: I must write this book.”
Although she admitted that there were no plans to write a series down the line, her first novel set the tone for several elements that became synonymous with it: mystery, romance, and crime. During the development, Wright envisioned the story to take place in a town where people could not avoid each other, thereby creating a complex web of interpersonal bonds amidst a murder mystery. The show embraces the atmospheric nature of the source material and its characters, ensuring that each aspect plays a pivotal part in the story and is connected not just to the original novels but also to reality.
Karl Alberg: A Fictional Detective Looking to Escape the City Life
The central focus of ‘Murder in a Small Town’ primarily lies in the exploits of its protagonist, Karl Alberg. The fictional police chief is a creation of author L.R. Wright and leads the story alongside his love interest, Cassandra Mitchell. Unlike other detectives of the genre, Karl is a somewhat subdued personality who prefers to let his humanity shine over his obsession with solving crimes. Additionally, the police chief is devoid of a haunted or troubled past that constantly surfaces in his present and creates further turmoil. In truth, Alberg is simply motivated by his hunt for peace, a pursuit that led him to the Sunshine Coast in the first place as he looked to avoid the chaos of big city life.
Rossif Sutherland, who plays Alberg, described the character as “this detective who wasn’t going about doing his job with the tropes of intimidating people with his badge, his gun, his uniform, but instead got to get the truth out of people with his humanity, he’s somebody who wears his heart on his sleeve, and he’s not possessed by demons.” As such, the character does not fit the mold of the typical crime-solving detective protagonist. In fact, part of his journey is embracing the other side of humanity, one that is not constantly in touch with dark and macabre elements, which is a side effect of his job. While there are elements about the character that are reminiscent of many tropes within the field, he is detached from them, not just in type but also in reality.
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