Midsomer Murders cancelled: why has TV series been pulled from ITV schedule - has it been axed?

Midsomer Murders fans have been left concerned after the second episode of the new series appears to have been pulled from the ITV schedule. The 23rd season kicked off on Sunday (April 14), but next week episode two is noticeably missing from the line-up.

The latest season of the crime drama kicked off on Sunday, but after a mixed reception ITV appear to have pulled it, with episode two not screening this weekend and no confirmation as of yet on when it will go live.

The schedule shake-up has led to concerns that ITV have axed the popular murder mystery series, with betideas.com odds at 8/11 that the show is cancelled following ITV’s decision not to screen the latest episode this weekend. Here’s everything we know so far about the future of Midsomer Murders. 

Has ITV cancelled Midsomer Murders?

Speculation has been growing that ITV could be looking to axe Midsomer Murders after the series was pulled from their TV schedule just after the new season aired.

Britain’s Got Talent is instead filling the Sunday timeslot, with the murder mystery series previously airing at the same time on a weekly basis. The next season of BGT will drop on ITV1 this Sunday (April 21) from 7.40pm until 9pm, with Richard Armitage’s new thriller Red Eye following from 9pm to 10pm. Midsomer Murders is noticeably missing and it has not been confirmed when the rest of season 23 will air.

That has led to speculation that ITV could be looking to cancel the show, with odds for Midsomer Murders at 8/11 for it to be cancelled following the screening of the new series. Lee Astley, spokesperson for betideas.com, said: “The new series of Midsomer Murders was met with a mixed reception last night and with no confirmed date for its second episode, it appears ITV could be losing patience with its long-running drama.”

Astley continued: “Series 23, whenever it does resume, could well be the last one to hit our screens, with the show now just 8/11 to be canned after the latest season is aired. Meanwhile, ITV bosses could look to keep hold of the show but instead give it a major revamp to appeal to new viewers, including a new cast, with Midsomer Murders 6/4 to receive a significant rebrand.”

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Sarah McCann is a Trends Writer for NationalWorld who specialises in stories around TV, Film and Health. If you liked this article you can follow Sarah on X (Twitter) here. You can also share your thoughts in the comment section below.