BOOKISH: Everything You Need to Know

In Bookish, the latest mystery series from PBS, viewers can prepare for an invigorating, fresh spin on the much-beloved crime genre — a show injected with a sense of coziness, danger, pathos, and most importantly, truth. 

Created, starring, and written by Emmy Award-winning writer Mark Gatiss (Sherlock, The League of Gentlemen), this six-part murder mystery series follows antiquarian bookshop owner Gabriel Book (Gatiss) as he helps police solve a variety of mysterious crimes. 

Prepare to enter the chaotic and dangerous shadows of post-war 1946 London, where Gabriel Book’s encyclopedic knowledge of literature and history makes him an invaluable — if unconventional — consultant to the local police. With razor-sharp wit and an entourage of charming social misfits, Book helps unravel London’s most puzzling mysteries by turning to the thousands of books lining his shelves.

When Does BOOKISH Premiere?

Mystery sleuths and bookworm enthusiasts alike, make your calendar for the premiere of Bookish on January 11, 2026. Passport members can also stream all six episodes starting January 11, 2026.

What is BOOKISH About?

In post-war London, Gabriel Book (Mark Gattis), a literary enthusiast and bookseller, combines his day job with his favorite hobby — helping solve knotty murder cases. Although happily married to his best friend, Trottie, Book is a gay man at a time when homosexuality was illegal. When a new assistant, Jack, arrives at the bookshop, it soon becomes clear his appointment wasn’t as random as it at first seems.

Meet the Cast of BOOKISH

Book

At the very heart of Bookish is the erudite, charismatic Gabriel Book: a bookshop owner by trade and a trusted consultant detective in his spare time. Resourceful and determined, Book possesses a passionate interest in solving murders cases — and will stop at no lengths to assure perpetrators are caught. 

Underneath his charismatic persona, however, Book is a man with a complicated past. At a time when homosexuality is deemed illegal in England, Book has been forced to conceal his sexuality over the course of his life. Fortunately for him, he has the close support from his childhood friend and wife, Trottie, who offers steadfast love and a knack for sleuthing as well.

Trottie

Resourceful, charming, and elegant, Book’s long-time best friend and wife, Trottie, is a charismatic mystery-seeker who shares in her husband’s affinity for investigations. Although she and Book are in a “lavender” marriage, there is an undeniable love between the two of them. 

Jack

Fresh out of serving a two-year stint in prison is Jack, a young man whom Book and Trottie recruit to help run Book’s store. Unbeknownst to Jack, however, the couple possess other motives for offering a hand out to Jack — reasons that soon unfold to him over the course of the season. 

As Book continues with his spree of murder-mystery investigations across London, he increasingly takes Jack under his wing, and together the two men embark upon a string of unforgettable adventures.

Stream Bookish on pbs.org and the PBS App!