New to Acorn TV in June

Dead Still, a period drama about a post-mortem photographer in Dublin whose work appears linked to a series of murders, will premiere next month on streaming service Acorn TV.

The first two episodes will be available from June 29, with the rest of the six-part series to follow in July.

Streaming site Decider’s verdict: “Dead Still‘s mystery is just in its beginning stages in the first episode, but the chemistry between the three leads is readily apparent, and that will fuel the rest of the first season.”

Vanity Fair suspected the series was “from the Bureau of Unlikely Premises“:

Dead Still is an original from Acorn TV, a streamer that specialises in UK dramas — so they know hijinks and accents are what their audience is looking for.

At the same time, the show finds much to explore about topics including the nascent medium of photography; the bizarre pathways of grief; the rise of appetites for violent, murderous imagery; and the Victorian obsession with seances, ghosts, and hauntings.

Recommended for hijinks that may or may not be supernatural in nature. Not recommended for viewers looking for a breath of fresh air.

Also new to Acorn TV will be:

• season five of Line of Duty (June 1), following its removal from Netflix because of a rights spat (Acorn TV also has S1-4)
• four seasons of Midsomer Murders (S7 & 8 from June 8, S9 & 10 from June 22),
• 2002 dramatisation Goodbye Mr Chips starring Martin Clunes (June 8).