“A Grantchester rival”: 7 “superb” detective dramas to watch this August on ITV, Netflix, the BBC & more

If you’ve hit a wall with what to watch next on TV, have worked your way through the current selection of detective dramas and need a new mystery to sink your teeth into, we’ve got some good news. After scouring through all the schedules, we’ve unearthed the very best shows you’re going to want to tune into this month.

From a series so good it rivals Grantchester to the new Death In Paradise and an exhilarating series starring a formidable duo whose professional and personal boundaries blur, there’s an option for however you’re feeling. So, remotes at the ready – here are seven superb new detective dramas to watch this August on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more.

Bookish

If Grantchester is your favourite detective drama, you’ll be happy to hear that Bookish, the best mystery series since, is back for a second series. This cosy crime drama is set in 1940s London and introduces us to crime-busting bookshop owner Gabriel Book (Sherlock’s Mark Gatiss) who’s harbouring a secret: he’s gay at a time when homosexuality was illegal. To hide his sexuality, he’s in a ‘lavender marriage’ with his close friend Trottie (Polly Walker), and their bookshop turns into a sleuthing ground for a series of intriguing cases. The second run promises even more fun, with Gabriel asked to help with a mysterious case involving a medium, a murder at gentleman’s outfitters and a thieving Duchess (played by Miranda Richardson). Series 2 will premiere on Wednesday 26 August at 8pm on U&Alibi with a double-bill.

Ludwig

Our favourite puzzle solver is back! John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell) is returning to our screens, but this time he’s an official consultant for the Cambridgeshire Police. For those who missed the first series, it follows the introverted Ludwig in the aftermath of the disappearance of his identical twin brother, high-flying DCI James, who led a major crimes team in Cambridge. Ludwig assumed his twin’s identity to solve the biggest puzzle he’s ever encountered, with the help of his brother’s wife, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin). While masquerading as his brother, he becomes embroiled in solving other cases for the police force. But in this series, his brother is still missing and now Ludwig can’t use any of the policing resources to try and track him. Series 2 is coming to BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday 20 August.

The Chelsea Detective

The dynamic duo of Detective Inspector Max Arnold (Adrian Scarborough) and Detective Sergeant Layla Walsh (Vanessa Emme) are back to tackle a string of mysterious cases in the upmarket West London borough of Chelsea. Series four will see Vanessa and Max reprise their roles and take on more murder mysteries across four feature-length episodes. There’s a cryptic double murder that takes the investigation out of Chelsea and into the cut-throat world of architecture, while elsewhere a wellness and beauty salon owner is hiding deadly secrets. But it’s not all doom and gloom – between the criminal sprees, there’s some romance in store for Max. Series 4 arrived on Acorn TV on Monday 3 August, with a new episode airing weekly until Monday 24 August.

Hit Point

This upcoming six-part drama follows detectives Leo (Nick Blood) and Bella (Saffron Hocking) as they’re pulled into a dangerous West London underworld to investigate their latest case. The series promises a twisty and adrenaline-charged ride as the boundaries between personal and professional blur, with secrets unearthed, loyalty tested and romance on the cards… Hit Point will premiere on U and U&Dave on Thursday 13 August.

Murder In A Small Town

Now we’re travelling across the pond to an idyllic Canadian harbour town where a former big city detective, Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland), has relocated in the hope he’ll find peace. But his dream turns out to be a short-lived fantasy – when he arrives, bodies are washing up on his shore and he realises the town is keeping a heap load of secrets. Over two series, we follow Karl putting his old skills to the test while he falls for local librarian Cassanda (Kristin Kreuk). Both series of Murder In A Small Town landed on Netflix on Saturday 1 August.

Benidorm Is Murder

If you adore Death in Paradise, you'll be obsessed with Benidorm Is Murder, the six-part series follows former detective Dennis Crown (John Hannah), who’s moved to Spain to open a bar, hoping for a quieter life in the sun. But when tourists start showing up dead, he’s reluctantly pulled back into his old crime-busting life. Helped by his barmaid Rosa (Carolina Bécquer), an aspiring actress and true-crime super fan, he’s drawn away from pulling pints and back to solving murder cases in what’s set to be the next Death In Paradise. The first episode of Benidorm Is Murder is available to watch now on Channel 5, with subsequent episodes landing every Thursday at 9pm.

Van der Valk

Based on the novels by Nicolas Freeling, Van Der Valk was originally a hit TV series from 1972 to 1992 before being rebooted three decades later by ITV. The show follows Commissioner Piet Van der Valk (Marc Warren), who investigates a string of complex cases in Amsterdam. The three-part series four kicks off with Van der Valk trying to protect a whistleblower so they can take down a criminal empire in court. Later, he’s flummoxed when the culprit behind a murder appears to be a missing famous singer; and in the final episode he must begrudgingly reunite with a former flame to catch the killer of a scientist who’d been researching a groundbreaking cancer treatment. Van der Valk series 4 premiered on ITV1 and ITVX on Sunday 2 August at 8pm, and the finale will air on Sunday 16 August at the same time.