“The new Midsomer Murders”: 7 “5-star” cosy crime dramas to watch on ITV, Netflix, the BBC & more this autumn

With the nights getting longer and the weather cooler, it’s the perfect time to cosy up on the sofa with a comforting new series. This season brings a lot of exciting new television, so we’ve scoured the schedules and previewed all the upcoming shows so you don't have to - and found the ultimate pick of must-see dramas.

From the new Midsomer Murders to Lesley Manville’s final chapter as amateur sleuth Susan Ryeland and a sun-soaked French mystery, we’ve got your next binge session sorted. So, get the kettle on and make yourself comfortable – here are 7 5-star cosy crime dramas to watch on ITV, Netflix, the BBC and more this autumn.

Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators

If you’re searching for the new Midsomer Murders, our favourite mismatched detective duo is back for another adventure in Stratford-upon-Avon. Ex-cop Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton) and ex-hairdresser Lu Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) are back for another collection of wonderfully eccentric cases. However, there’s one big change: their loyal assistant and aspiring actor Sebastian (Patrick Walshe McBride) has landed his dream role in LA, so his old friend Bea Gardiner (Aruhan Galieva) is stepping into his shoes. Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer, while series 6 of Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators will premiere on U&Alibi on 24 September at 8pm.

Marble Hall Murders

The third and final instalment of Anthony Horowitz’s bestselling Susan Ryeland series – following Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders – is arriving in time for cosy season. Lesley Manville is back as Susan, the book-editor-turned-part-time-detective who is hired to to work on a new continuation of an Atticus Pünd novel, written by troubled author Eliot Crace (Jamie Blackley). Fiction and non-fiction quickly collide, as she’s led into a real-life murder investigation and unexpectedly finds herself as a suspect! Meanwhile, in the pages of the novel, Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan) is investigating the murder of Lady Margaret Chalfont on the Greek island of Corfu. Marble Hall Murders will premiere on PBS on September 6 and arrive on BBC One and BBC iPlayer later this year.

Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence

Agatha Christie’s beloved sleuthing couple have been given a modern makeover in this new reimagining. We first met Tommy and Tuppence in Christie’s 1922 novel The Secret Adversary, but this new six-part series brings them into present-day London. The drama follows Thomas Beresford (Tommy, played by Josh Dylan) and Prudence Cowley (Tuppence, played by Antonia Thomas) as they navigate murder, mystery, mischief – and a somewhat tumultuous relationship. Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence will premiere on BritBox on Tuesday 15 September, a UK release date has not yet been announced.

Coastal Unit

This French sun-soaked comedy drama takes us to the south of France, where we meet an unlikely detective duo: Iris (Lucia Passaniti), a young stickler for the rules, and Victor (Bruno Salomone), an old-school cop of few words. Together, they must resolve their personal and generational differences to take on a series of mysteries, from the death of a brilliant Parisian chef to a murder in an escape room. It’s perfect cosy escapism! Coastal Unit will arrive on Channel 4 on Friday 18 September.

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 load of secrets. Over two series, we follow Karl putting his old skills to the test while he falls for local librarian Cassandra (Kristin Kreuk). Both series of Murder In A Small Town are available to watch now on Netflix.

Sunny Nights

This sun-soaked eight-part series takes us to Australia where we meet the newly relocated American brother and sister Martin (Will Forte) and Vicki Marvin (D’Arcy Carden), who move to Sydney with a big entrepreneurial vision: a spray-tan van. As you might expect, their million-making mission doesn’t quite go to plan. But their financial woes are the least of their problems when a blackmail scheme drags them into Sydney’s criminal underworld… Sunny Nights is available to watch now on ITVX.

Ludwig

This hit BBC drama follows John ‘Ludwig’ Taylor (David Mitchell), a shy and introverted puzzle maker who unexpectedly finds himself solving real-life murder cases after assuming the identity of his missing detective twin. With the help of his brother’s wife, Lucy (Anna Maxwell Martin), they search for James, as well as becoming embroiled in compelling police cases. Series 2 sees the pair reunite, with John now officially a member of the force as a crime scene consultant and Lucy eager to get back in on the action. But will they ever find out what happened to James? The next instalment of series 2 is premiering on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on Thursday 10 September – so now’s the perfect time to catch up! Ludwig is available to watch now on BBC iPlayer.