The BBC's 12-Part Detective Series Is Knives Out Meets Ludwig

Published Aug 29, 2026, 1:00 PM EDT Zach Moser has been writing for ScreenRant since 2022, covering movies, classic TV, and streaming TV. His areas of expertise cover a wide range of genres with a particular interest in horror and drama, and the conversations around the TV and film industry. When he's not covering the latest film releases or chronicling the latest season of a new show, he's writing humor pieces for McSweeney's Internet Tendency, Slackjaw, and Points In Case or working on short stories and his second novel. There's a 12-episode detective series on the BBC which is one part Knives Out and one part Ludwig. The BBC has no shortage of crime shows, and even if you're from somewhere in the British Isles, you may not have heard of them all. Each is worth watching, and with a classically trained Thespian in just about every one, they all deliver. There are the dramatic British detective and crime shows and those that lean more into the comedy side of the genre. England isn't the only place to offer these comedic detective stories. Knives Out is an immensely popular American detective franchise that operates in a similar comedic register to something like Ludwig, which premiered in 2024. Elements of both Ludwig and Knives Out can be found in another detective series, Death Valley, a 2025 BBC series that recently premiered season 2 in May 2026. The 12-episode crime mystery comedy stars Timothy Spall and Gwyneth Keyworth as John Chapel and DI Janie Mallowan, respectively. In the series, eccentric retired actor John Chapel is the former star of a long-running detective show called Caesar. When his neighbor is found dead in an apparent suicide, John provides his insights, learned on the set of his show, to the awkward Detective Sergeant Janie, and the pair form an unlikely bond. The series is a fast-moving, charming, funny detective series, with a compelling murder mystery at its center. Some of these British detective shows can run together if they're not careful, and they each need a hook to stand out. While Death Valley's isn't completely unique, it's enough to keep the series engaging. Death Valley Has The Quirkiness Of Knives Out And The Humor Of Ludwig Death Valley deals in the same quirkiness of Knives Out and the outright humor of Ludwig. The pairing of Spall and Keyworth is crucial to this blend of comedy, and their chemistry is really what keeps the show chugging along. Like Knives Out, Death Valley revels in the cleverness of the genre. It lays out complicated, though not overly so, crimes to untangle and rewards you for paying close attention, but also doesn't punish you if you get so wrapped up in the coziness and miss a few clues here and there. The relationship between John and Janie is also not unlike that of Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc and his ever-changing sidekick in each film. The series also has that same, fresh feeling as Ludwig, with a deft comedy touch that never gets to be too much. It's always smart and funny. It's a witty series, one that takes itself seriously when it should but never so often that the characters start to grate. Credit: MovieStillsDB Beyond its excellent humor and compelling crime mysteries, Death Valley also has an interesting meta conceit. John is the former star of a detective show and a national icon. Timothy Spall is also a British icon, a member of the Order of the British Empire, and a frequent face at any British awards ceremony. Therefore, Death Valley has a British icon, playing a British icon who starred in detective shows, and is now working with a detective. The meta layers make for some funny, winking jokes, and it also provides a different, self-referential angle to the show that few detective series would ever think to operate in. Release Date May 25, 2025 Network BBC One Cast Timothy Spall John Chapel Gwyneth Keyworth Janie Mallowan