Jed Mercurio, creator of hit dramas “Bodyguard” and “Line of Duty,” brings another tense thriller to screens in March. “Bloodlands” begins streaming March 15 on Acorn TV, shortly after its British premiere on BBC One.
“Bloodlands” stars James Nesbitt (“The Missing,” “Cold Feet”) as Tom Brannick, a veteran police detective in Northern Ireland who recognizes connections between a recent alleged suicide and a series of disappearances during the country’s — and Brannick’s — troubled past.
Read more about “Bloodlands”below, as well as descriptions of other high-profile Acorn TV premieres in March including the Hebrew/French drama “The Attaché” and the latest season of “The Brokenwood Mysteries,” New Zealand’s answer to “Midsomer Murders.”
Acorn TV March 2021 Premieres
Monday, March 15
Bloodlands
4 episodes premiering weekly, 2021; Acorn TV Original
When an expensive car containing a possible suicide note is pulled from the sea, veteran Northern Ireland police detective Tom Brannick (James Nesbitt) instantly sees the connection to an infamous cold case that holds enormous personal significance for him. It seems someone is trying to force the police to re-open the investigation into a notorious and long-buried series of mysterious disappearances more than 20 years ago during a dark period in Northern Ireland history. This intense Irish crime thriller follows Brannick’s campaign to identify and unmask the legendary assassin behind these events, a semi-mythical figure nicknamed Goliath: it’s an explosive cat-and-mouse game.
In Deep
Series 1, 6 episodes, 2001 (Series 2, 8 episodes, premieres March 29)
Life as an undercover detective is demanding. Liam Ketman (Nick Berry) and Garth O’ Hanlon (Stephen Tompkinson) know only too well that one slip-up can result in disaster. They’re constantly making sacrifices for the job by leading complicated double lives, which immensely impacts their personal lives.
Law & Order UK
Series 4-5, 14 episodes (Series 3 premiered March 1), 2010-11
Here’s another one of those shows that boasts past, present and future British stars as guests or in its ensemble. This version of the U.S. “Law & Order” employs the same two-part structure that focuses on the criminal investigation by the police and then shifts to the prosecution of the suspects, but tweaks to fit the British systems.
Among the ensemble in various seasons, “Doctor Who” fans will recognize Bradley Walsh, who currently stars in that sci-fi series, as well as Peter Davison, who played the Fifth Doctor, and Freema Agyeman, who played Martha Jones in “Who” and “Torchwood” from 2006-2010. Other recognizable ensemble members in various seasons of “Law & Order” include Jamie Bamber (“Battlestar Galactica”), Harriet Walter (“Killing Eve”), Ben Daniels (“The Crown”), and Paul Nicholls (“Ackley Bridge”).
Monday, March 22
The Attaché
10 episodes, 2019; Acorn TV exclusive (In Hebrew/French)
Creator, director, writer and star Eli Ben David based this series on his personal experiences of living in Paris during the past few years. Ben David portrays a successful Israeli Jewish musician of Moroccan descent who relocates to Paris for his wife’s new job as the attaché to the Israeli embassy in Paris. His wife becomes a Parisian career woman, wittier and busier than ever before. Despite living in the eternal capital of romance, they have a marital crisis and he has a crisis of masculinity and fatherhood.
Saving Britain’s Worst Zoo
4 episodes, 2019
All the dreams of the animal-loving Tweedy family had come true when they bought a zoo in West Wales. Borth Wild Animal Kingdom came with more than 300 animals including lions, monkeys, snakes and a leopard. Dean and Tracey Tweedy had plenty of enthusiasm, but no experience. When a lynx escaped, their dream life quickly descended into a never-ending nightmare of court actions, death threats and spiraling debts. Shot with incredible access as everything unfolded, this spellbinding and emotional series tells the real behind-the-scenes story of an event that made international headlines.
Monday, March 29
The Brokenwood Mysteries
Series 7, 6 feature-length episodes premiering weekly through May 4, 2021; Acorn TV exclusive
Detective Senior Sergeant Mike Shepherd (Neill Rea) still has his own quirky way of investigating a case in the latest season of this favorite from New Zealand. Country music-loving Shepherd and Detective Kristin Simms (Fern Sutherland) uncover more macabre goings on and investigate murderous rivalries and lethal grudges in the supposedly quiet little town of Brokenwood.
The Gods of Wheat Street
6 episodes, 2013
All about letting go of the past — with the aid of a little magic and enough deadpan humor to tackle the future — this intimate series journeys into the lives, hearts and humor of the Freeburns, a modern Aboriginal Australian family of local legends. Odin Freeburn and his family rise above obstacles that would bring mere mortals to their knees — and get on with the important matters of love, family and football. There series boasts a cast of some of Australia’s finest Indigenous actors including Kelton Pell, Ursula Yovich, Lisa Flanagan and Logie Award-winning Shari Sebbens.
Earlier March Premieres
Cat Hospital; 6 episodes, 2019: Docuseries reveals the cute, cuddly and dramatic daily life at Ireland’s first veterinary hospital catering exclusively to cats, Cork Cat Hospital. Cat expert Clare Meade and her team of dedicated professionals work caring for their adorable animal clientele.
Monday, Monday; 7 episodes, 2009. Sally (Morven Christie) wants to move on from the boyfriend who dumped her, so when the company she works for relocates, it’s a chance for a fresh start — even if it is with her incompetent boss, Christine (Fay Ripley). Tom Ellis (“Lucifer”) and Holly Aird (“Waking the Dead”) also appear in the series.
The Strange Calls; 6 episodes, 2012. Former city cop Toby Banks (Toby Truslove) starts a new night duty desk job in the seemingly-quiet, idyllic coastal town of Coolum Beach. It’s anything but boring, though, with people turning into chickens, mermen going to the school dance and a mysterious radio jingle that transforms people into lawn-mowing zombies.
Love My Way; Series 3, 8 episodes, 2007. This Australian primetime drama centers on a thirtysomething woman (Claudia Karvan) who negotiates the web of contemporary relationships, while juggling the priorities of family obligations.