‘Harry Wild’: Jane Seymour Teases Killer Mysteries & Romance During Season 3

Jane Seymour is back on the case for Season 3 of Harry Wild. The award-winning actress found her stride as the titular retired university literature professor turned investigator. She’ll once again be joined on her sleuthing adventures in Ireland by partner Fergus (Rohan Nedd). Getting into these dangerous situations is certainly not what Harry’s son and senior police detective Charlie (Kevin Ryan) saw for her golden years. But you can’t stop Harry, and you can’t stop the 73-year-old actress who plays her.

The season premiere of the hit Acorn series sees the Wild/Reid Detective Agency step into action after Jamie D, lead singer of Harry’s granddaughter’s favorite boy band, plummets to his death right before the band’s farewell performance. Then it’s solving the mystery spurred on by a head chef’s decapitated head being served on a platter. They come to find a fellow dick on their heels in the process. Along with work, is romance on the horizon for Harry?

Here we caught up with Seymour to chat about what’s to come.

At this stage of your career and having done so much, how fun is it for you to not only have a character like Harry but one you can dig into and show different facets for? 

Jane Seymour: It’s fantastic. I honestly feel that I am getting the opportunity now to do some of my best work. I’m so grateful. Actresses don’t typically have much work after 40, and I’m 73 and have a series, and this is the third season. That bodes well because it seems to be getting better and better. I love it because they really write to me. I’m a producer in it as well, so we really put Harry in all kinds of crazy circumstances. Sometimes she goes undercover and pretends to be some sort of crazy person.

I truly love the comedy and the relationship with Fergus. I think it’s magic. You don’t usually have a detective duo that isn’t a romance or simmering romance. This is a kid who is 16 and a woman in her 70s. The love and attention they have for one another is palpable. They are almost equals in this. He knows how to deal with crime, and she knows her stuff. Between the two of them, they do it together. They learn a lot from each other. I think it’s lovely that I’ve never seen this character or a show like this before. I find a lot of people who love books are loving it because of all the connections to literature, film, and history. Others who may not have read anything are now more curious.

The relationship between Harry and Fergus has gotten deeper as Fergus tries to protect his sister with his mom Paula (Samantha Mumba) in the picture. Harry’s motherly instincts seem to kick in trying to help him. 

Harry will be there for him no matter what. She tries to help him see reason and fight for his rights in terms of not letting his mother dive in and take over where she left off. His mother disappeared when his sister was born. His father is a raging alcoholic. He is underage and somehow fends for everyone. Now suddenly she waltzs in and wants to take this little girl to America. I love the relationship between Harry and Fergus.

…There is also the relationship with Harry and her daughter-in-law Orla, played brilliantly by Amy Huberman. I first can’t stand her because I see her as a stuck-up and boring woman. Then I find out she is in trouble and needs help and I’m helping her out. I bond with her. In real life, we’ve even become close friends. Then there is the young girl who plays my granddaughter Lola, Rose O’Neill. She is fabulous. She had never done anything before as a brand-new actress. She is studying some amazingly complicated things at Trinity [College] for real while she is filming as my granddaughter. The relationships are what make it rather than it being this little old lady just solving crimes.

I think of what you’re doing with Harry Wild reminds me of what Angela Lansbury did with Murder She Wrote. 

I can see that, but we are a little more edgier. I would never deny being put alongside Angela and Murder She Wrote because that is iconic and brilliant and a great series. I think Harry is a completely different type of character. At the same time, people love murder mysteries. People are obsessed. What is it with us human beings that we want to know how murder works and true crime? Jo Spain and Dave Logan who writes the scripts are brilliant. Jo is currently the number one crime novel writer in Ireland today. Her 14th book just came out. The plots are so thick. I always think I know who did it, and I never know. In fact, I have to remind myself in the middle of shooting because it’s so brilliantly written.

There is a possible romance for Harry blooming this season. Something that happens organically. She wasn’t looking for it. What can you say about who she meets? 

He might be in the same field as me, but I don’t know who he is or what he is or why he is. We don’t know if we can trust him. At the same time, there is something about him that wakes Harry up. We don’t know where it’s going to go. We’ll just have to have another season to find out. It’s definitely one of my favorite scenes I’ve ever shot I think is in the last episode of the season with him which is really

Is there any case you’re particularly excited for viewers to see Harry tackle? 

All of them. How did the guy who writes murder mysteries in a panic room manage to shoot himself without a gun? The severed head on the serving dish in a restaurant full of people. The boy band one is hilarious. Each one is more bizarre than the one before. The Vibrant Villages are fun because they are trying to have the prettiest gardens and villages. A woman Harry knows finds a dead body in her pond. The one about the soap opera director who gets murdered. There are a lot of different plot twists.

What do you want to see Harry do that she hasn’t done before? Do you want to see her go elsewhere to solve mysteries? 

I would love that to happen. Personally, I would love to actually come up with Harry Wild crime novels, so we can take Harry anywhere without worrying about a budget or location. I would love to see Harry go to America. Why not?

I feel you are busier than ever before. 

I have a movie to do later this year. I have a movie that just came out called Ruby’s Choice, which is about a woman who has Alzheimer’s and whose family doesn’t know what to do with her. It’s a brilliant little movie that I’m proud of and shot in Australia during COVID with great actors. I’ve been doing some independent movies. I’ve got the option to a great book called The Truth About Horses, which made Amazon’s best-seller list and won awards. It’s a movie or a series. I haven’t decided what I want to do with it. It’s a magical piece of material I’ve found, where I could possibly direct. There is an enormous amount on my plate. I get stuff sent all the time and turn things down, believe it or not.

Do you think there is still hope for more Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman? 

I don’t know. I keep thinking why not make everyone happy and do a two-hour. I think the concept for another Dr. Quinn series would have Joe [Lando] and I playing small roles and it would be about younger people. I think that is what people would want. Joe and I work together a lot. We did a Christmas movie called A Christmas Spark, which was one of the most successful Christmas movies they’ve had on Lifetime. I know we still have that spark, and I think fans love to see it. We’re very good friends now and banter well with one another. We’re always looking for something fun to do together if it can’t be done with Dr. Quinn. We try to find something else.

And fill that hunger for Dr. Quinn fans a little bit in the process. 

The Dr. Quinn fans are now also watching Harry Wild, which is now global. That’s been fantastic and exciting. Then I did this thing called Irish Wish that did quite well. The demographic for that many thought would just be romcom and Lindsay Lohan fans. Then one-third of the fans were also mystery fans from my shows like Harry.

Harry Wild Season 3 premiere, May 13, 9/8c, BBC America and Acorn TV