The Murder in a Small Town season 2 premiere has arrived, and those who watched the first season will immediately clock that two characters are missing: Edwina Yen (Mya Lowe) and Andy Kendrick (Fritzy Klevans-Destine). The young cops were major characters in the first season and integral cogs in the very small Gibsons police department, but both appear to be missing from the Murder in a Small Town season 2 cast.
Both of them started to take greater shares of screentime as the season progressed, especially Corporal Yen, who was being positioned as Karl Alberg's protégé and a promising young detective. While Kendrick didn't get as much development, his character had a lot of potential to evolve from an unserious and sometimes unprofessional rookie to a seasoned cop. That's why their absence in the Murder in a Small Town season 2 premiere is notable.
Mya Lowe's & Fritzy Klevans-Destine's Murder In A Small Town Season 2 Absences Explained
Stills of Andy and Yen in Murder in a Small Town
Unfortunately, Mya Lowe will not be returning for Murder in a Small Town season 2, and, after the premiere, there's now the question of whether Fritzy Klevans-Destine will be returning, too. In Lowe's case, it was a simple schedule conflict: she was scheduled to shoot season 2 of My Life With the Walter Boys at the same time, and chose Netflix's teen drama over Fox's crime drama.
It's less clear why Klevans-Destine wasn't in the premiere. There haven't been any confirmed reports that he's left the series, so it's possible that he'll return later this season, perhaps even next episode. Either way, it's really strange that the Murder in a Small Town season 2 premiere didn't even acknowledge their absence, simply introducing Bethany Brown as the new department corporal, Laila Jackson, with no explanation as to where Edwina Yen went.
Marcia Gay Harden Is A Great Addition – But Season 2 Still Needs To Explain What Happened To Kendrick & Yen
Marcia Gay Harden as Leanne smiling at the hospital in Code Black
Along with Bethany Brown, Murder in a Small Town season 2 added a big name in a new role in the form of Marcia Gay Harden. Harden joins the series as Gibsons mayor Christie Holman, who is not shy about wanting to use the position to advance her own agenda, putting her in direct opposition to Cass, who won a spot on the town council.
Harden is a veteran of network TV, and it's great to see her land in a fun new network role after the cancellation of So Help Me Todd earlier this year. She'll bring her usual commanding presence to Murder in a Small Town and help flesh out Cass's narrative this season.
Even so, if Murder in a Small Town season 2 never once mentions Corporal Yen (or Kendrick, should he not return), Harden's addition won't make up for how weird it is that the show suddenly turned over a chunk of its roster and added new players without an explanation why. It wouldn't require much, either – a single line of dialogue explaining that Yen had left for a promotion at another department would suffice. Like each new murder case, it's a mystery that needs to be addressed.
