Murder in a Small Town filming locations: Where in Canada is the mystery procedural filmed?

Murder in a Small Town just premiered on FOX as a fun, moody murder mystery series!

Based on the Alberg and Cassandra Mysteries by L.R. Wright, the procedural is set in Gibsons, a small British Columbia fishing town. The 90-minute premiere opened by introducing the two main characters, chief of police Karl Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and librarian Cassandra Mitchell (Kristin Kurek). The pair had a lunch date after connecting online and shared some nice banter before hooking up later. 

A former big-city cop, Alberg decided to take a job in Gibsons to unwind, expecting some quiet times. However, the premiere had him investigating a murder that led him to focus on a retiree (James Cromwell). It also introduced side characters like new cop Edwina Yen (Maya Lowe), slightly dim fellow cop Sid Sokolowski (Aaron Douglas) and Cassandra’s friend Isabella (Savonna Spracklin). 

The series will follow Alberg and Cassandra continuing their romance while working together on some cases, not all of which will involve murder. It looks like a fun new tale, so where was it actually filmed? Here's what we know!

Where was Murder in a Small Town filmed?

One might think Gibsons is just some fictional town made up for the series. However, it is an actual town in British Columbia's Sunshine Coast, founded in 1886 with a population of about 4,750 people. It's a mix of a tourist spot and home to remote workers from Vancouver. The town has been used by scores of Canadian TV shows, notably the long-running hitThe Beachcombers. 

The location is ironic as the novels are set in another B.C. town, Sechlet but the producers changed it to Gibsons. Interesting trivia: Rossif's father, the late, great Donald Sutherland, had tried to get a movie version of the Wright books made but couldn't. He was happy to hear his son would be playing the role and the pilot ends with a dedication to Donald.

Per Cinemaholic, the production faced challenges, from the typical moody Canadian weather to the town being a bit remote and cut off from major highways. There was also delays due to snow but the location ended up helping the production.

Several real Gibsons locations are used for the show, such as the Molly’s Reach restaurant and the local library where Cassandra works although the library staff reportedly wasn't happy with the production fouling up the filing system.

Roberts Creek and Porpoise Bay are utilized well for the beachside scenes and their lovely lake areas fit the storylines. Viewers can also glimpse the various local businesses and the townspeople are used as extras in scores of scenes. 

Thus, Murder in a Small Town is a rare case of a small-town mystery show filmed in a real town and that makes it even more unique for a new mystery saga.

Murder in a Small Town airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on FOX.