It has been a long time since Shetland fans saw their favorite detectives in action. All fans are now wondering what is happening to the show. Will there be Shetland Season 6? Over the run of about six years, the series has bagged great viewership and response from both viewers and critics alike. For years now, they have been praising the show for its very interesting story. In fact, Shetland won the 2016 BAFTA Scotland award for the best Tv drama.
The Scottish crime series- Shetland first released in March 2013. Created by ITV Studios for BBC, the show is inspired by Ann Cleeves’ novels. The latest season, season 5 released in 2019. What happening to Shetland Season 6? Here is all you need to know-
Shetland Season 6: Is It Renewed?
The latest season of the Shetland franchise, the fifth season released in March 2019. After the release, there was no news about what’s next for the series. However, a few months ago, BBC One renewed Shetland Season 6 later in December 2019. Not just the sixth season, the show also received renewal for the seventh season of the show. That indeed has rejoiced the fans because we know we have more of the show coming unless something really mad happens.
What Has Happened So Far?
The fifth season of Shetland saw Perez investigating Daniel about a young Nigerian guy’s murder and kidnap of his sister Zezi from the Shetland beach. After figuring out things, Perez concluded that that the trafficking organization on Shetland island is responsible for Daniel’s murder and Zezi’s abduction. Perez starts suspecting Hayes’s family for all of this. Soon after that, they were also murdered in their own home. However, one member of the family survived.
In Glasgow, Perez visited Aaron McGuire. He is considered as the face or the significant figure of the whole gang. In the meantime, Callum, who is really suspicious, tries to commit suicide on Sandy Wilson’s watch. Soon after all these events, Perez realizes that the new woman on the island- Alice, who he had fallen in love with through the show was the person behind the whole trafficking ring. Perez also comes to know that Chirs, Alice’s husband, is deep into debts, and that has forced them to commit the crime of trafficking people. By the end of the show, Perez and his team find Zezi in a cottage that Chris was renovating.
The fifth season of the show concluded the storyline and did not leave any loose ends. Therefore it will be safe to assume that the creators will bring in a brand new story with perhaps new murder in Shetland Season 6. The detectives and the team will once again get back in action to solve yet another fascinating mystery.
Will Shetland Season 6 Follow Ann Cleeves’ Novels?
The Shetland series is inspired by Ann Cleeves’ novels. However, after the third season of the show, the creators started drifting away from the books and rather started making long six-episodes storylines. They did use the characters and vibe of the show, but they did not take the novels’ storylines. We can expect that Shetland Season 6 will adapt to another original storyline. But it is possible that the creators would go back to books for the upcoming season.
Author Cleeves On The Adaption
All the viewers of the show would have figured out that there is so much difference between the Tv series and the books. While some characters of the show were similar, the series had adopted the spirit of the show rather than adapting the storylines. About this, the author of the original books, Ann Cleeves, revealed what she thinks.
Cleeves says that Television is an art and it is different from prose to prose. She has given permission for the adaption. She trusts the artists and the whole process. The artists have the freedom to have their creative vision, and they should mold the story. Cleeves has completed the Shetland series with her last book, WildFire. Over the years, she has commented that she wants to conclude the islands’ story before she stops enjoying it.
Production Details & Release Date
Now that we know Shetland Season 6 is renewed, all fans are eager to know if they have started the productions or when it would release. The creators had originally planned to commence production by March 2020. Douglas Henshall, who plays the lead role on the show, confirmed this through twitter. However then, COVID-19 struck us and paused everything in the world. So, just like all other shows, Shetland Season 6 went on halt too.
Recently BBC One revealed that Shetland Season 6 would not get back to sets until 2021. The producers have released a short announcement revealing that they have made a decision to resume filming only in 2021. In the announcement, they also revealed that they would keep reviewing the status of all productions on a case by case basis.
This wait is indeed frustrating for all the fans who have been eagerly waiting for the show. However, we can hope that it will be worth the wait. More information about the show will surface with time, and we will keep updating this space with all of that. You stay tuned with us to never miss an update about it.