The “cozy Scandi noir” mash-up is just weird, is my point, and not yet pulled off in a way that adds more to the story than it takes away.

Pearl is extremely likable, and rumpled, and so is the series—a low-key, six-episode foray into storylines that are as much about the town and the locals as they are about crime and punishment.

There’s lots to like about Kerry Godliman as Pearl, and it does seem like the chemistry between Godliman and Howard Charles is good enough to sustain Whitstable Pearl, but the mysteries need to get a lot stronger before this show can compete with other hit British mystery series.