Adrian Scarborough, known for his role in A Very English Scandal and Killing Eve, is taking on a new light-hearted cop drama called The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV. In an interview, Scarborough expressed how the show’s tone sets it apart from other more serious crime dramas, saying, We didn’t want it to be unrelentingly grim. He added that they found a color in Season 1 that the audience enjoyed and they thoroughly enjoyed exploiting it.
The second season of The Chelsea Detective premieres on Monday, and it continues the story of Detective Inspector Max Arnold, played by Scarborough, who is still estranged from his wife and living on a houseboat. This time around, he is teamed up with a new police partner, Detective Sgt. Layla Walsh, played by Vanessa Emme. Scarborough praised Emme, saying she is great fun to have on set and her positive and upbeat energy comes across on screen.
While Max is reserved in his opinions about people, Scarborough stated that Layla knows he respects her enormously. The show features self-contained episodes where all the storylines get solved within the episode, allowing the show to go anywhere and do anything. Scarborough revealed that he particularly enjoys showcasing the seedy underbelly of Chelsea.
The plotlines of the show include an art heist gone wrong, a gruesome murder at a high-end retirement home, and a vegetable delivery company that isn’t what it seems. However, Max’s personal life is less eventful as he grapples with the idea of being a single man. Scarborough shared that Max still misses his wife and wishes the breakup were simpler, but that’s not the emotional world he lives in.
Max is portrayed as someone unversed in long-term relationships, and Scarborough believes this is why his marriage fell apart in the first place. Although Max enjoys the freedom of being single and having time to work on his cases, Scarborough noted that the show helped him understand the difficulty real police face in balancing personal relationships and work.
The second season of The Chelsea Detective has a more relaxed atmosphere on set as the characters and setting have already been established in the first season. Scarborough mentioned that the actors and writers feel more confident in their roles, and they are grateful for the positive response from the public.
In summary, Adrian Scarborough stars in the light-hearted cop drama The Chelsea Detective on Acorn TV, which stands out from other dark crime dramas with its enjoyable and less grim tone. The second season pairs Scarborough’s character with a new police partner, and the show explores various intriguing plots while also delving into Max’s personal life. The cast and crew are more at ease in the second season, thanks to the positive reception from viewers. Fans can catch the new season on Acorn TV starting Monday.
