{{Short description|British crime drama TV series (2022 and 2025)}} {{Use British English|date=July 2023}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2023}} {{Infobox television | image = Logo of Karen Pirie.png | caption = Title card | genre = {{Plainlist| * Drama }} | based_on = {{Based on|Inspector Karen Pirie series by Val McDermid}} | developer = | starring = {{Plainlist| * Lauren Lyle *Chris Jenks *Zach Wyatt }} | director = Gareth Bryn | writer = Emer Kenny | composer = Stephanie Taylor | country = {{Plainlist| * United Kingdom }} | language = {{Plainlist| * English }} | num_seasons = 2<!--Only increment as a new season premieres, per the documentation of the template!--> | num_episodes = 6<!--Only increment as a new episode premieres, per the documentation of the template!--> | list_episodes = | executive_producer = {{Plainlist| * Elizabeth Binns * Simon Heath * Emer Kenny * Val McDermid }} | producer = Clare Kerr | location = {{Plainlist| * St Andrews, Scotland }} | cinematography = {{Plainlist| * Ryan Kernaghan }} | editor = Gareth Bryn | camera = Single-camera | runtime = 120 minutes x 3 | company = World Productions | channel = ITV | first_aired = {{Start date|2022|09|25|df=y}} | last_aired = present | related = | opentheme = | endtheme = }} '''''Karen Pirie''''' is a British crime drama television series based on the ''Inspector Karen Pirie'' series of novels by Val McDermid. The first series was screened on ITV in September–October 2022, and the second series in July–August 2025.
== Plot == In the first series, a young detective sergeant, Karen Pirie, is put in charge of a twenty-five year-old cold case, the unsolved murder of a barmaid. A popular podcast series focuses on the case and Pirie is tasked with re-examining it.
==Cast== * Lauren Lyle as DS/DI Karen Pirie * Chris Jenks as DC/DS Jason "Mint" Murray * Zach Wyatt as DS Phil Parhatka * Emer Kenny as Dr. River Wilde * Rakhee Thakrar as Bel Richmond * Steve John Shepherd as DCS Simon Lees
===Series 1=== * Gilly Gilchrist as DI Barney MacLennan * Stuart Bowman as Chief Superintendent Jimmy Lawson * Kevin Mains as Young (DI) Jimmy Lawson * Gemma McElhinney as PC Janice Hogg * Anna Russell-Martin as Rosie Duff * Ariyon Bakare as Alex Gilbey * Buom Tihngang as Young Alex Gilbey * Michael Sheffer as Tom "Weird" Mackie * Jack Hesketh as Young Tom 'Weird' Mackie * Alec Newman as Ziggy Malkiewicz * Jhon Lumsden as Young Ziggy Malkiewicz * Bobby Rainsbury as Grace Galloway
===Series 2=== * James Cosmo as Sir Broderick Grant * Jamie Michie as Young Broderick Grant * Frances Tomelty as Lady Mary Grant * Madeleine Worrall as Young Mary Grant * Julia Brown as Catriona 'Cat' Grant * John Michie as Fergus Sinclair * Saskia Ashdown as DC Isla Stark * Mark Rowley as Young Mick Prentice * Conor Berry as Young Andy Kerr * Tom Mannion as Andy Kerr/Mathias * Stuart Campbell as Kevin Campbell
==Episodes== ===Overview=== {{Series overview | color1 = #E3CD81 | link1 = #Series 1 (2022) | episodes1 = 3 | start1 = {{Start date|2022|9|25|df=y}} | end1 = {{End date|2022|10|9|df=y}} | color2 = #4FA8FF | link2 = #Series 2 (2025) | episodes2 = 3 | start2 = {{Start date|2025|7|20|df=y}} | end2 = {{End date|2025|8|3|df=y}} }} ===Series 1 (2022)=== {{Episode table |background=#E3CD81 |overall=5 |series=5 |title=18 |director=16 |writer=16 |airdate=14 |country=UK |episodes=
{{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 1 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = The Distant Echo: Part 1 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|9|25|df=yes}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = E3CD81 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 2 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = The Distant Echo: Part 2 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|2|df=yes}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = E3CD81 }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 3 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = The Distant Echo: Part 3 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2022|10|9|df=yes}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = E3CD81 }} }}
===Series 2 (2025)=== {{Episode table |background=#4FA8FF |overall=5 |series=5 |title=18 |director=16 |writer=16 |airdate=14 |country=UK |episodes=
{{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 4 |EpisodeNumber2 = 1 |Title = A Darker Domain: Part 1 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|7|20|df=yes}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 4FA8FF }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 5 |EpisodeNumber2 = 2 |Title = A Darker Domain: Part 2 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|7|27|df=yes}}{{efn|Scheduled to air at 20:00 BST on 27 July 2025 but was delayed for an hour due to UEFA Women's Euro 2025 final between England and Spain going into extra time.}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 4FA8FF }} {{Episode list |EpisodeNumber = 6 |EpisodeNumber2 = 3 |Title = A Darker Domain: Part 3 |DirectedBy = Gareth Bryn |WrittenBy = Emer Kenny<br/>Val McDermid |OriginalAirDate = {{Start date|2025|8|3|df=yes}} |ShortSummary = |LineColor = 4FA8FF }} }}
== Production ==
=== Series 1 === Series one is based on the first novel in a series by Val McDermid, ''The Distant Echo''.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Karen Pirie: Release date, cast & latest news for ITV crime adaptation |url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/karen-pirie-itv-val-mcdermid/ |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=Radio Times }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-25 |title=Karen Pirie review – this female-led crime drama absolutely sings |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/25/karen-pirie-review-this-female-led-drama-absolutely-sings |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=the Guardian }}</ref> Emer Kenny wrote the adaptation for television.<ref name="2nd" /> In May 2021, it was announced that Lauren Lyle would star as the title character.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.itv.com/presscentre/press-releases/lauren-lyle-star-karen-pirie-itv-cold-case-murder-drama-karen-pirie|title=Lauren Lyle to star as Karen Pirie in ITV cold case murder drama 'Karen Pirie'|publisher=itv.com|date=11 May 2021|access-date=6 November 2021}}</ref> The producers are the same as for the series ''Line of Duty'' and ''Bodyguard''.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-09-23 |title='My dad didn't sleep, he was so excited': the ITV drama that's rewriting the rules of crime TV |url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/23/the-makers-of-karen-pirie-on-their-groundbreaking-detective |access-date=2023-01-10 |website=The Guardian }}</ref> Series one was directed by Gareth Bryn.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2023-10-11 |title=BAFTA Scotland Awards: Aftersun, Mayflies, Karen Pirie, Frankie Boyle and Susan Calman in the running |url=https://www.scotsman.com/whats-on/arts-and-entertainment/bafta-scotland-awards-aftersun-mayflies-karen-pirie-frankie-boyle-and-susan-calman-in-the-running-4367780 |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=The Scotsman |language=en}}</ref>
=== Series 2 === Series two is based on the second novel in McDermid's series, ''A Darker Domain'', and is co-written by Emer Kenny and Gillian Roger Park. It consists of three 90-minute episodes.<ref name =2nd/> It was filmed in Scotland and Malta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=First look at 'Karen Pirie' series two, filmed on location in Scotland and Malta |url=https://www.screenglobalproduction.com/news/2025/06/11/karen-pirie-season-two-first-look-malta-scotland |access-date=2025-07-28 |website=Screen}}</ref>
== Release == The first series began on ITV on 25 September 2022 and concluded on 9 October 2022. On 21 February 2023, it was announced the series had been commissioned for a second series. The second series started filming in early 2024, and began to be aired on 20 July 2025.<ref name =2nd>{{cite web | last=Hibbs | first=James | title=Karen Pirie season 2 release date speculation: Plot and latest news | website=Radio Times | date=21 February 2023 | url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/drama/karen-pirie-season-2-release/ | access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref>
== Reception == === Ratings === Series one averaged 4.82 million viewers.{{citation needed |date=July 2023}}
===Critical response===
==== Series 1 ==== On Rotten Tomatoes, the series has an approval rating of 91% based on 11 reviews, with an average rating of 8.6/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Clever and twisty, ''Karen Pirie'' refreshingly revamps the traditional grizzled detective procedural by putting a young woman on the case."<ref>{{Cite Rotten Tomatoes |title=Karen Pirie |type=tv |id=karen_pirie |season=1 |access-date=July 17, 2023}}</ref>
Writing in ''The Guardian'', Lucy Mangan praised the show for its humour, confidence, and charm, as well as its suspenseful plot that keeps the viewer guessing until the very end. Mangan gave the show 4 out of 5 stars.<ref name="Mangan 2022 s533">{{cite web | last=Mangan | first=Lucy | title=Karen Pirie review – this female-led crime drama absolutely sings | website=The Guardian | date=2022-09-25 | url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2022/sep/25/karen-pirie-review-this-female-led-drama-absolutely-sings | access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref> Sean O'Grady also gave the show 4 out of 5 stars in ''The Independent'', writing that the "tartan noir drama lifts itself above the usual run of these cold case thrillers because the story is told in a refreshingly cohesive way." O'Grady especially praises the work of Lyle saying that she "is excellent as the undervalued, underestimated officer who succeeds where the men have failed."<ref name="The Independent 2022 z654">{{cite web | first = Sean | last = O'Grady | title=Lauren Lyle is excellent in the refreshingly cohesive Karen Pirie – review | website=The Independent | date=2022-09-25 | url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/tv/reviews/karen-pirie-review-lauren-lyle-b2174052.html | access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref> Abha Shah is less enthusiastic, giving the show 3 out of 5 stars in the ''London Evening Standard''. Shah writes: "It’s a decent enough plot but the execution is as bungled as the police work Pirie finds herself uncovering. There’s an element of finesse that’s missing, a shame considering the production team’s CV."<ref name="Shah 2022 f753">{{cite web | last=Shah | first=Abha | title=Karen Pirie review: all the polish and dialogue of a live-action Scooby Doo | website=Evening Standard | date=2022-09-25 | url=https://www.standard.co.uk/culture/tvfilm/karen-pirie-review-itv-police-drama-emer-kenny-b1027617.html | access-date=2023-09-11}}</ref>
== Awards == For writing the first episode, Emer Kenny was nominated for the Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Episode in a TV Series.<ref>{{Citation |title=2023 Edgar Allan Poe Award Nominations |url=https://edgarawards.com/2023edgarnominations/ |access-date=2023-02-04| date =19 January 2023}}</ref>
At the BAFTA Scotland Awards in November 2023, Lyle was awarded Best Actress Television for ''Karen Pirie'' and the Audience Award for Favourite Scot on Screen.<ref>{{cite web | title=Winners announced: 2023 BAFTA Scotland Awards | website=BAFTA | date=19 November 2023 | url=https://www.bafta.org/media-centre/press-releases/winners-of-the-bafta-scotland-awards-2023-announced#:~:text=Lucy%20Halliday%20received%20the%20award,his%20performance%20in%20Somewhere%20Boy. | access-date=13 January 2024}}</ref>
== See also ==
* ''Wire in the Blood'', 2002 TV series, also based on characters created by Val McDermid.
==Notes== {{notelist}}
== References == {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *{{IMDb title|id=tt11725900|title=Karen Pirie}} *{{Epguides|KarenPirie}}
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Category:2022 British television series debuts Category:2020s British crime drama television series Category:2020s British workplace drama television series Category:British detective television series Category:British thriller television series Category:English-language British television shows Category:ITV crime dramas Category:Television series by ITV Studios Category:Television series by World Productions Category:Television shows filmed in Scotland