Spoilers for Karen Pirie follow.
Karen Pirie concluded on ITV tonight with its third and final episode, revealing to viewers the shocking twist in the decades-long murder case the titular detective has been trying to unravel.
The finale of the limited series revealed that it was actually DCI Lawson who committed the murder of Rosie Duff all that time ago in the 1990s. Lawson had an affair with the young Rosie, who later secretly carried his child to term. In the present, that child, now an adult, held Pirie hostage demanding answers.
Pirie talked the devastated woman out of committing further crimes and then arrested DCI Lawson, much to the shock of his colleagues and avid viewers of the ITV show. Fans called the ending a "satisfying" conclusion to a gripping drama and now they want more.
Related: Karen Pirie ending explained as Rosie Duff's killer finally exposed
One fan wrote: "What fantastic show. Great script and even better acting. Absolutely loved it. Roll on series 2 please."
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Another fan wrote: "Brilliant drama. @itv please can we have more series. The best drama I've seen in ages."
One fan wrote: "One of my favourite crime dramas in a long time! And @LlaurenLyle has been fantastic as Karen Pirie Crossing all my fingers & toes we get a series 2!"
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Meanwhile, another viewer praised Lauren Lyle's lead performance as Pirie, while they also complimented the work of Emer Kenny's writing.
"Karen Pirie on @itv led by @LlaurenLyle is Such. Good. Television. Lauren gives a *literally* faultless performance of @MissEmerKenny’s brilliant writing. We need another series, like yesterday. Congrats to all involved, I totally loved it."
Lyle received a lot of praise for her breakout turn as the determined lead detective, with one user noting that it was her excellent performance that helped to make the final reveal so satisfying to watch.
"@LlaurenLyle loved #karenpirie Your delivery of the final arrest and interview was incredible. I hope you get another series. Well done."
Related: What Karen Pirie gets right that so many police thrillers get wrong
In general, the consensus was that a second season is needed. This three-episode series adapted the first of author Val McDermid's Karen Pirie series, The Distant Echo. That book was published in 2003.
Since then, McDermid has written five more Karen Pirie novels, with the most recent of them (Still Life) released in 2020. So, if ITV were keen on a second series or even more, there is plenty of material there for future TV seasons to adapt.
"#KarenPirie Please, please, @ITV @WeAreSTV we need more of this! Great Sunday night viewing."
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Jacob is a freelance writer who specialises in narrative TV and film.
He graduated from the University of Roehampton with an MA in Journalism and has written for several publications since, including Gold Derby, Insider, and Screen Daily.
Jacob has covered major events in the world of film and TV, including numerous BAFTA ceremonies and the Cannes Film Festival, while he's also been an awards expert for several publications, including Korea's Arirang. His particular areas of interest include Star Wars, the MCU, the Oscars, and Hugh Grant.
