‘Three Pines’ Canceled, Author Louise Penny ‘Shocked and Upset’ Prime Video Series Won’t Return

Prime Video has canceled Three Pines after one season. The eight-episode mystery series premiered in December 2022 and wrapped up its first season with a cliffhanger season finale that will now be left unresolved. 

Prime Video cancels ‘Three Pines,’ which starred Alfred Molina

Three Pines starred Spider-Man’s Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, a detective charged with investigating various murders in the province of Quebec. Rossif Sutherland and Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers also starred in the show, which was based on a series of novels by Louise Penny. Variety was the first to report the cancellation news. 

Three Pines Season 1 concluded with Gamache unraveling the season’s core mystery, which revolved around the disappearance of a woman named Blue Two Rivers (Anna Lambe). Gamache discovered that his old friend and colleague Pierre Arnot (Frank Schorpion) was behind the crime and confronted him. Rather than turn himself in and face the consequences, Arnot shot Gamache, then fled, leaving the detective for dead. 

Author Louise Penny urges fans to contact Prime Video to show their support 

Penny wrote the best-selling novels that inspired the show. She expressed surprise and disappointment Prime Video did not renew Three Pines for season 2. 

“Despite achieving #1 for Prime in U.S., Canada, U.K. and other markets, and top 10 wherever it was broadcast, Amazon has decided to cancel [Three Pines]. I am shocked and upset,” the best-selling author wrote on Facebook. “Like any show, it had growing pains, but it was only going to get better and better.”

She also urged fans to contact Prime Video to express their support for the show. 

‘Three Pines’ cast, showrunner also react to cancellation

Several other people involved in the production of Three Pines also reacted to the show’s cancellation on social media. 

“It has been difficult to process the news that there will be no second season of #ThreePines,” Tailfeathers wrote on Instagram. The actor, who played officer Isabelle Lacoste, went on to thank fans and praise the show for incorporating storylines involving indigenous characters. 

“As an Indigenous actor, I never thought I’d have the opportunity to be the leading woman on a #1 show like this. It was huge,” she wrote. “Our stories matter and this show demonstrated that audiences, regardless of background, are hungry for Indigenous content.”

Three Pines showrunner Emilia di Giorlamo – who had exited the show after the first season – also addressed the show’s fate on Instagram. 

“I know there’s a lot of disappointment that the show won’t be returning and I’m sad for the wonderful cast, crew, and fans,” she wrote. She added that she “was not involved in the conversations and negotiations around renewal but I have been told Leftbank, Sony & Prime Video all wanted to bring the show back but were unable to reach a mutually beneficial agreement.”

“It was an immense privilege to work with Louise, Alfred and the rest of our talented cast and crew as well as the many Indigenous artists and musicians who made Three Pines so uniquely special,” di Giorlamo added. 

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