# Three Pines
**Three Pines** is a 2022 crime drama television series on Amazon Prime Video, adapted from [Louise Penny](https://www.edgepedia.org/louise-penny)'s Chief Inspector Armand Gamache mystery novels and starring [Alfred Molina](https://www.edgepedia.org/alfred-molina) as Gamache, a homicide detective of the [Sûreté du Québec](https://www.edgepedia.org/surete-du-quebec) investigating murders in a fictional Eastern Townships village.[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) The eight-episode season premiered on December 2, 2022 and was canceled the following March.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/2342/three-pines-three-pines-cancelled-at-amazon-prime-video-after-one-season)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Basis | Adaptation of Penny's best-selling Gamache novels, set in the fictional village of Three Pines, inspired by Quebec's Eastern Townships[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) • [4](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/nordicity25.htm) |
| Lead cast | Alfred Molina as Chief Inspector Armand Gamache; Rossif Sutherland as Jean-Guy Beauvoir; Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers as Isabelle Lacoste; Sarah Booth as Yvette Nichol[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/three-pines/) |
| Production | Amazon Studios with Left Bank Pictures (Sony Pictures Television) and Muse Entertainment; lead writer Emilia di Girolamo; directors Sam Donovan, Tracey Deer, and Daniel Grou[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) |
| Run | Eight one-hour episodes; premiered December 2, 2022; canceled after one season in March 2023[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) • [2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines) • [3](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/2342/three-pines-three-pines-cancelled-at-amazon-prime-video-after-one-season) |
| Reception | 72% on the Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer (18 reviews); Metascore 68 on Metacritic[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/three-pines/) |
| Canadian content | Canadians made up 95% of the 1,500-person crew and more than 70% of the cast; shot in Montreal and rural Quebec[6](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/8c/8a/aa9820ea419f82fb4bf1c6d56581/azs-econdoc-r8.pdf) • [1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) |
| Reach | Premiered in Canada, the U.S., UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and Greenland[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) |
## Spoilers
### Premise and source material
The series follows [Chief Inspector Armand Gamache](https://www.edgepedia.org/chief-inspector-armand-gamache) of the Sûreté du Québec, described in promotional material as a man who sees "the light between the cracks, the mythic in the mundane, and the evil in the seemingly ordinary." He and his team investigate a series of murders in the village of Three Pines, uncovering the buried secrets of its residents while confronting secrets of his own.[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) • [7](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/threepines)
The village comes from Penny's novels, the first of which, *Still Life*, was published in 2006. Penny has said she created Three Pines just after the [September 11 attacks](https://www.edgepedia.org/september-11-attacks), when the world felt frightening and she wanted a place of security, connection, and belonging; she filled it with characters she would choose as friends and a lead she would enjoy spending time with.[8](https://time.com/3982217/louise-penny-mystery-author-interview/) She has confirmed the village exists only on the page, but that it is inspired by Eastern Townships communities she knows, naming Knowlton, Sutton, North Hatley, and Georgeville.[9](https://louisepenny.com/faqs/)
## Production
In 2020, the UK-based Left Bank Pictures, owned by [Sony Pictures Television](https://www.edgepedia.org/sony-pictures-television), optioned Penny's series and partnered with Amazon Prime Video; filming began in 2021 in Montreal and rural Quebec.[4](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/nordicity25.htm) • [1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) Although shot in Canada with Canadian talent and crew, the production is not considered Canadian-owned, since ownership and key creative control were held by non-Canadian entities.[4](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/nordicity25.htm) Amazon described it as its first locally produced scripted drama in Canada.[1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines)
**Indigenous perspectives.** The adaptation deliberately expanded the Indigenous threads of the source novels. Sgt. Isabelle Lacoste, a white character in the books, was recast as an Indigenous woman, played by [Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers](https://www.edgepedia.org/elle-maija-tailfeathers), a member of the Kainai First Nation.[10](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/11/29/elle-maija-tailfeathers-on-challenge-of-portraying-an-indigenous-cop-on-three-pines/) In place of the missing-boy plot of the eleventh novel, the series centers a season-long storyline about a missing Indigenous woman that intersects with police failures to examine the town's history of missing and murdered Indigenous women.[10](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/11/29/elle-maija-tailfeathers-on-challenge-of-portraying-an-indigenous-cop-on-three-pines/) Mohawk director Tracey Deer directed a pivotal two-part episode dealing with residential schools and also served as Indigenous consultant alongside Katsitsionni Melissa Fox, with IllumiNative consulting on the series.[10](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/11/29/elle-maija-tailfeathers-on-challenge-of-portraying-an-indigenous-cop-on-three-pines/) • [1](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines) The cast included numerous Indigenous actors, among them [Tantoo Cardinal](https://www.edgepedia.org/tantoo-cardinal), Georgina Lightning, Crystle Lightning, Isabel Deroy-Olson, and Anna Lambe.[11](https://www.mpa-canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MPA-C-Combined-Report-and-Addendum-January-17-2024-1.pdf)
## Reception
The season holds a 72% Tomatometer average on Rotten Tomatoes from 18 reviews and a Metascore of 68 on Metacritic, based on 6 critic reviews.[2](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines) • [5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/three-pines/) Reviewers singled out Molina's performance; the critics' consensus called the series "a solid addition to the canon of detective mysteries" anchored by Molina and its wintry backdrop.[12](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines/s01) Variety's Amber Dowling praised the way Indigenous stories were woven into the broader series, and RogerEbert.com called it a collection of intelligent mysteries for fans of [Agatha Christie](https://www.edgepedia.org/agatha-christie) or Columbo.[5](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/three-pines/) Some critics were less convinced by the adaptation's tone; a Seven Days review argued the show never settled on whether Three Pines was sinister or welcoming, noting that Penny herself objected on Facebook to a line describing the village as a place that "chases out" unwanted intruders.[13](https://www.sevendaysvt.com/on-screen/three-pines-the-tv-adaptation-of-louise-pennys-quebec-mysteries-never-quite-nailed-its-sense-of-place-38493895/)
The series was among the top 10 shows and movies on Amazon Prime Video in its debut week, and reviews praised its depictions of Indigenous stories.[4](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/nordicity25.htm)
## Cancellation
Prime Video canceled the series in March 2023 after its single eight-episode season, which had wrapped on December 23, 2022; the decision was confirmed by the streamer to Variety and acknowledged publicly by showrunner Emilia di Girolamo, Penny, and Tailfeathers.[3](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/2342/three-pines-three-pines-cancelled-at-amazon-prime-video-after-one-season) A CRTC-commissioned study reports the cancellation followed an inability between Left Bank Pictures and Amazon Prime Video to reach an agreement for continuation, and that a [Change.org](https://www.edgepedia.org/change-org) petition calling for renewal gathered more than 7,000 signatures.[14](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2026/crtc/BC92-143-2025-eng.pdf)
## References
1. [Amazon Prime Video and Left Bank Pictures Begin Production on the Scripted Canadian Amazon Original Drama Series Three Pines, Amazon Press Center (September 2, 2021)](https://press.aboutamazon.com/2021/9/amazon-prime-video-and-left-bank-pictures-begin-production-on-the-scripted-canadian-amazon-original-drama-series-three-pines)
2. [Three Pines, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines)
3. ["Three Pines" Cancelled at Amazon Prime Video After One Season, TVmaze](https://www.tvmaze.com/news/2342/three-pines-three-pines-cancelled-at-amazon-prime-video-after-one-season)
4. [Audience at the centre: Discoverability, Promotion, and Prominence of Canadian Content Across the Broadcasting System, CRTC](https://crtc.gc.ca/eng/publications/reports/nordicity25.htm)
5. [Three Pines Reviews, Metacritic](https://www.metacritic.com/tv/three-pines/)
6. [Amazon Original Production Highlights: 2021-2022](https://assets.aboutamazon.com/8c/8a/aa9820ea419f82fb4bf1c6d56581/azs-econdoc-r8.pdf)
7. [THREE PINES, Sony Pictures Entertainment](https://www.sonypictures.com/tv/threepines)
8. [Bestselling Mystery Writer Louise Penny Discusses Her New Novel, Time](https://time.com/3982217/louise-penny-mystery-author-interview/)
9. [FAQs, Louise Penny official site](https://louisepenny.com/faqs/)
10. [Elle-Máijá Tailfeathers on challenge of portraying an Indigenous cop on 'Three Pines', The Canadian Press via CityNews](https://toronto.citynews.ca/2022/11/29/elle-maija-tailfeathers-on-challenge-of-portraying-an-indigenous-cop-on-three-pines/)
11. [MPA Canada Combined Report and Addendum (January 2024)](https://www.mpa-canada.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/MPA-C-Combined-Report-and-Addendum-January-17-2024-1.pdf)
12. [Three Pines: Season 1, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/tv/three_pines/s01)
13. ['Three Pines,' the TV Adaptation of Louise Penny's Québec Mysteries, Never Quite Nails Its Sense of Place, Seven Days](https://www.sevendaysvt.com/on-screen/three-pines-the-tv-adaptation-of-louise-pennys-quebec-mysteries-never-quite-nailed-its-sense-of-place-38493895/)
14. [CRTC Study on Discoverability Final Report](https://publications.gc.ca/collections/collection_2026/crtc/BC92-143-2025-eng.pdf)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Series and fictional screen worlds › Scripted television and comedy series › Genre and subject-scripted series › Crime, police, and detective series › Canadian and Oceanian crime series*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license