Watch trailer for ‘Murdoch Mysteries’ director’s Irish 1880s crime drama ‘Dead Still’

Acorn TV’s Dead Still premieres today and we’ve got the trailer.

Set in 1880s Ireland, the brand new period drama follows a memorial photographer who investigates the murders of his recently deceased subjects.

The Irish-Canadian co-production stars Michael Smiley (Luther), Kerr Logan (Game of Thrones), Eileen O’Higgins (Mary Queen of Scots) and Aidan O’Hare (Jackie).

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Catherine Mackin, managing director of Acorn Media Enterprises, commented: “With its fascinating setting, gallows humor, inventive storylines and stellar cast, Dead Still will offer a fresh take on the genre and is sure to interest fans of international dramas.”

The six-part series is written by John Morton, and directed by Imogen Murphy (Red Rock) and Craig David Wallace (Murdoch Mysteries).

The official synopsis reads: “Set in the heyday of postmortem photography, the story follows a renowned memorial photographer Brock Blennerhasset (Smiley) as he investigates the murders of his recently deceased subjects.

“When the murders escalate, Detective Frederick Regan (O’Hare) of the Dublin Metropolitan Police suspects that Ireland may have its first serial murderer at large. As Blennerhasset becomes a possible suspect and his family is put in harm’s way, they must track down the serial killer before he strikes again.”

Watch the trailer:

 

Discussing the similarities with Murdoch Mysteries, writer John Morton told Willow & Thatch: “…Dead Still is similarly rooted in that world of Victorian crime fiction and I haven’t shied away from utilising a lot of the iconography associated with that style.

“I’m a big fan of that kind of work so I definitely wanted to make Dead Still chime with that. I’m also weaving it around real history like Murdoch Mysteries does but in the first series, we stop short of introducing any historical figures.”

He added: “Dead Still is a bit of a stew of those murder mystery influences, elements of Irish mythology, folklore and history and a lot of Victorian death culture.”

Dead Still will launch exclusively on Acorn TV in the US as an Acorn TV Original with two episodes on Monday 18th May, with the remaining four episodes arriving weekly every Monday until 15th June.

The series will premiere in the UK on Acorn TV on Monday 29th June.

Dead Still is available on DVD on Amazon.