“Murder in a Small Town” has been renewed for Season 3 at Fox. In addition, Peter Gallagher (“The O.C.,” “Grace and Frankie”) will join the series in a season-long arc.

Gallagher will star as Rod Finlayson, who is described as “a charismatic, uber-independent, capable yet unreliable figure, whose arrival at the Gibsons’ marina on his beloved boat sets up a sequence of upheavals that Alberg (Rossif Sutherland) and Cassandra (Kristin Kreuk) will have to grapple with.”

“Murder in a Small Town” has proven to be a reliable series for Fox, with the second season seeing an 11% boost over Season 1 in viewership after seven days of multi-platform viewing. It is also less expensive to produce than other shows, as Fox Entertainment produces along with Canadian counterpart Sepia Films as well as Future Shack Entertainment.

“We love bringing this cozy and delightful mystery to Fox fans, and we’re thrilled ‘Murder in a Small Town’ has continued to resonate with our audience,” said Brooke Bowman, executive vice president of drama programming and development for Fox TV Network. “We look forward to continuing our collaboration with Sepia Films and Future Shack on Season Three, alongside our exceptional cast led by Rossif Sutherland and Kristin Kreuk and soon to include the incomparable talent of Peter Gallagher as their newest adversary.”

“Murder in a Small Town” is based on the Karl Alberg novels by L.R. Wright. The series follows Alberg, a big city cop who moves to a quiet coastal town, only to find himself pulled into service as a detective once again.