Murdoch Mysteries has been renewed by CBC for Season 12, as announced by Shaftesbury CEO Christina Jennings at Canadian Screen Awards Broadcast Gala, filming started May 2018. The season will have the usual 18 episodes but no holiday stand-alone special this season. Season 12 premiered on Monday, September 24, 2018. It premieres Monday, December 24, 2018 on AcornTV and on Alibi Channel (UK) on January 14, 2019.
The series won the 2017 Golden Screen Award for TV Drama or Comedy given to the most-watched series. The show is watched around the world and draws an average of 1.2 million viewers per week on CBC. With millions of fans worldwide, Murdoch Mysteries boasts one of the most engaged fan communities in the world, including over 130,000 likes on Facebook and 146,000 followers for the series and its cast on Twitter.
One of Canada’s most successful and longest-running dramas, Murdoch Mysteries (12 seasons; 168 x one-hour episodes; 3 x two-hour specials) is a staple for CBC and broadcasters around the world with its winning formula that brings together compelling crime mysteries, unique slices of turn-of-the-century history, ingenious inventions and personal moments for each character. The series is licensed to broadcasters in 110 countries and territories including the U.S., U.K., France, Finland and China.
Murdoch Mysteries is based on Maureen Jennings’ popular Detective Murdoch series of novels and premiered in Canada in January 2008. Murdoch Mysteries is developed and produced by Shaftesbury, in association with CBC, ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment and UKTV, and with the participation of the Canada Media Fund, the Canadian Film or Video Production Tax Credit, the Ontario Film and Television Tax Credit and the COGECO Program Development Fund. Shaftesbury Sales Company and ITV STUDIOS Global Entertainment hold worldwide distribution rights for the series. The series is executive produced by Christina Jennings, Scott Garvie, Yannick Bisson and Peter Mitchell, who also serves as showrunner, and produced by Stephen Montgomery and Julie Lacey.
June 20-21, 2018, Murdoch Mysteries returned to a favourite location for filming, Port Hope, Ontario, Canada, centering around the Hotel Carlyle and Restaurant on John Street; then, August filming in Cobourg, Penetanguishene, and in the town of St. Marys.
Season 12 Storylines and other tidbits:
From showrunner Peter Mitchell: "Normally, we pick it up three or four months later and I think that’s so we can start off on a fresh foot while doing some housekeeping as to what happened last year...
We have an idea that Julia and Murdoch might be writing a book together, which could be fun (ep.1211).
We might actually find George’s girl of his dreams this year.
I think we might have Alexander Graham Bell back—he’s a fun character—and introduce the architect Frank Lloyd Wright… a couple historical figures we haven’t seen yet and a couple we’ve seen in the past. We’re just getting started."
The Official Murdoch Mysteries Fan Newsletter delivered via email on August 14th: countdown 41 days until Season 12 premiere!
Hélène Joy and Yannick Bisson make the September cover of Beyond Fashion prior to the Season 12 premiere and reveal "a year of new beginnings, of pushing upwards and onward":
Showrunner Peter Mitchell confirms that there will not be a holiday special this season but a standout Halloween episode is promised; Mitchell has alluded on social media, there are going to be some heart-wrenching episodes and some dark places as the season evolves.
On May 8, 2020, Murdoch Mysteries makes the 2020 Aurora Award ballot for Best Visual Presentation (Ep. 10-18 of Season 12 and Ep. 1-9 of Season 13), Peter Mitchell and Christina Jennings, Shaftesbury Films). The Aurora Awards are nominated by members of the Canadian Science Fiction and Fantasy Association.
Murdoch investigates an astronomical phenomenon with a strange impact on his colleagues' behaviour and dire implications for Toronto. This is a standalone out-of-the-box Halloween episode.
Murdoch's distressing childhood memories are evoked while investigating the death of an orphan under the care of the same Jesuit priest who taught him.