A Few Final Thoughts on Season One of ‘The Chelsea Detective’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Normally, the end of a season of a popular or beloved television show, brings about a bit of a void discussion wise and understandably so. For the season in question stood for itself and there’s little to talk about outside of say… a cliffhanger or a twist. So, we patiently share our final thoughts with one another and wait for the new season to arrive. But every once in a while, you run into a show that is so incredibly layered and full of meaning and meaningful moments and filled with such dynamic characters… that more discussion needs to take place and well, that’s top of mind today… because The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV is a show that demands we dive deeper into its wonder.

Because this is a crime drama unlike any other on television right now and all of the wonderful things it accomplished on the screen need to be celebrated. Such as the fact, that it features one of the most diverse character rosters on the market with characters that properly represent all walks of life. For instance, Max Arnold is dyslexic and solves cases differently than other detectives and that’s huge to see because that’s not something often represented on television in the slightest. Nor is having a woman of color, much less a woman… be a Detective Sergeant and the same goes for the fact that Ashley, the Medical Examiner on this series, is deaf. Which really does make this a progressive show for certain, one that puts forth a simple blueprint for how to handle diversity in television and how we should handle it in our everyday lives as well.
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A feat that season one accomplished, by offering acceptance for all of these characters. Because at no point does anyone offer some kind of remark about how Max learns and processes a case, nor does anyone challenge Priya’s standing and we don’t hear any snide remarks for Ashley or questions about her abilities to function as an ME. They’re simply living in this world and doing their jobs and are respected for who they are and what they do and that’s precisely how it needs to be in the world. And seeing that kind of normalcy regarding our ‘differences’ is revolutionary for certain, and it needs to be celebrated here in detail because that’s a huge step in the right direction and recognizing its positivity is how we encourage others to follow. 

However, we would also be remiss to not take a moment and talk about how the wonder of this show extends beyond its incredible diversity. Because this is a detective series that is free of stylized cases and bombastic villains and quite frankly… slick and edgy investigators. It simply looks at the world and the strange motivations that go into murder and the impact it has on everyday people and how regular people bring those that cross that line to justice, and that’s equally as revolutionary. Since it points out that this kind of act happens often in our world and doesn’t always feature motivations revolving around bringing down the system or teaching humanity a lesson. It sometimes involves a poor choice, or one wrought forth from anger and it hurts people dearly and changes lives forever and that’s equally as important to point out to audiences, since it grounds murder in sobering reality and that's a good thing, since at times… it really is presented in a fantastical manner.

If anything, everything we’ve discussed today makes this a one-of-a-kind show. One that clearly offers more than we've already discussed in our recaps, and its depth and intelligence and outright humanity really do deserve a spotlight and now that we’ve done just that… all we can do now, is wait and hope for a second season announcement and this show deserves that as well. Because this is the kind of crime drama that television needs right now, since it is already light years ahead of so many others in the genre courtesy of representation, but also because it brings a powerful gravitas back the genre, something it has been missing for ages now and hopefully we genuinely do get many more seasons with Max and Priya, and their dynamic team, and learn a great deal about the human condition in the process.  

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