Are you a fan of procedural crime dramas? Do you enjoy when idyllic settings hide dark mysteries under their seemingly perfect exterior? Do you perhaps like watching Tom Selleck and his mustache, made famous by shows like Blue Blood and Magnum, P.I.? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you’ll love the Jesse Stone films.
Tom Selleck first starred as the eponymous Jesse Stone in the 2005 film Stone Cold and has reprised the role in eight more made-for-TV films. Based on a series of detective novels by Robert B. Parker, the movies follow former LAPD officer Stone after he becomes the police chief of the small town of Paradise, Massachusetts. The town may seem sleepy on the surface but Stone soon uncovers layers of corruption that would rival any he’d seen back in his LAPD days. While Selleck is noticeably older than the Jesse of the novels (Stone is 35 in the first book), he proves a great casting choice for the role; he became so engrossed in the character that he went on to help write several of the films.
The most recent Jesse Stone film was released in 2015 and according to Selleck, a tenth movie is in the works — although it might not return to Hallmark. In an interview with TV Insider, Selleck says the next film will be the final installment in the Jesse Stone cinematic universe as both he and the character have aged since the ninth film.
It might be a while before fans see the conclusion of Jesse Stone’s story but new fans can rest easy knowing they have plenty of time to watch (or re-watch if you’re an existing fan) all nine movies. While it might seem logical to begin watching with the earliest movie, Stone Cold, the second movie in the series is chronologically the first.
Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006)
Though technically the second movie, the events of Jesse Stone: Night Passage happen earlier than those of Stone Cold. Stone finds himself in the fictional town of Paradise, Massachusetts after a drinking problem forces him to leave his job in the LAPD. Seeing an opportunity to exploit said drinking problem, the corrupt council leader hires Stone as Paradise’s new chief of police in the hopes he will turn a blind eye to the blatant corruption in the town. Things get crazy when Stone finds himself investigating the death of one of his fellow officers. In order to prove this death was no accident, Stone will have to get his hands dirty dealing with the dark underbelly of Paradise. Catch Viola Davis in a supporting role as Stone’s colleague, Molly Crane.
Stone Cold (2005)
This is the first movie by release order but chronologically, Stone Cold comes after Jesse Stone: Night Passage. By now, Stone has cemented himself as Paradise’s police chief but he can’t rest easy yet as a body is discovered on the beach. Naturally, the locals begin to panic and continue to do so when more victims begin to turn up. The murders share a common theme but as the bodies pile up, police cannot discern the killer’s motive. During the chaos, Stone and Molly Crane (yes, Viola Davis is in several of these films) simultaneously investigate the rape of a high school girl. It’s not all heavy moments though — as Stone also adopts his dog Reggie, who will feature in the majority of the Jesse Stone films.
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006)
Beginning with Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise, the release order is now the same as the chronological order. In this film, Stone investigates the death of a local teen girl whose body was found in a nearby lake. He also starts regularly going to therapy after his ex-wife suggests it might be beneficial (and given the murders he investigates, we’re inclined to agree). After learning the identity of the victim, Stone begins to unravel a complex mystery while one of his colleagues gets caught in the crossfire. Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise jumps into the plot right away thanks to the setup from the previous films and even introduces some new characters. This is also Selleck’s first time earning a writing credit for one of the Jesse Stone movies.
Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007)
Now that Molly has left the police force and another colleague is recovering from getting hurt on the job, Stone must work with a new officer, Rose Gammon (Kathy Baker). It doesn’t help matters that police work is awfully slow and when Stone is left to his own devices, he ends up turning to alcohol and his dog for comfort. In an effort to get back to work, he decides to reopen an unsolved case from 1992, which causes him to cross paths with the local mob; this is the first appearance of mobster Gino Fish (William Sadler), who we’ll see in subsequent films. Jesse Stone: Sea of Change not only introduces some new characters, but is also the only Jesse Stone film to land Selleck an Emmy win.
Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)
After a two year wait in between films, Stone is back in Jesse Stone: Thin Ice. One of the police chief’s friends, State Police Captain Healy, nearly ends up a shooting victim and Stone aims to discover who wants to hurt his friend. The local council is less than thrilled with Stone and feels he spends more time winding up in shootouts than focusing on crimes that make the city money. They advise him to not follow through with investigating his friend’s shooting, but it wouldn’t be a Jesse Stone movie if he followed their advice. Instead, things become even more complicated when a woman asks him to investigate the disappearance of her child. This is Selleck’s second writing credit after Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise.
Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)
It probably comes as no surprise that Jesse Stone ends up getting suspended from his position as chief of police given his independent streak. Due to his suspension, Stone is forbidden from contacting his colleagues and would have ended up spending his days drinking at home if not for a string of murders that spur him back to his crime-solving ways. Stone becomes a private consultant for the Boston police department and discovers a possible link between the recent murders and mobster Gino Fish. One thing’s for sure, Stone is gonna solve crimes whether he’s part of the force or not.
Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (2011)
In Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost, Stone continues his independent practice after losing his position to the council president’s son-in-law. The new “nepo baby” police chief is more focused on making Paradise look good than in actually solving crimes. As we’ve established, Stone is going to investigate crimes whether he’s actually an employed police officer or not, and he believes his current predicament is a temporary one. While he waits for the town to realize its folly of firing him, Stone investigates the death of a friend and partners up with Captain Healy once again for some consulting work.
Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)
Stone is once again working for the Paradise police department, at least temporarily. The previous chief and another officer are killed in some suspicious circumstances and this time, Stone has to solve his most personal case yet. He is back in his element and resolves to not only solve this case but gain permanent employment once again. Unfortunately, he’s going to have to do it alone as his colleagues left to find other employment after struggling to work with the nepotistic chief. Things seem to point to the late chief being involved in some shady dealings but as the movie’s title suggests, Stone gives him the benefit of the doubt even as evidence suggests his guilt. This is the final Jesse Stone movie to appear on CBS, as the network thought the films were getting a little too costly (and long) to continue.
Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (2015)
The most recent film, Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise follows Stone after he gets his job back and is reinstated as Paradise’s chief of police. Although Stone is back working in Paradise, he finds time to once again moonlight as a private consultant for the Boston police department as work is slow at home. While looking at the department’s case files, he learns about a recent presumed victim of a serial killer known as the Boston Ripper but when confronted, the Ripper proudly admits to his other crimes while vehemently denying he murdered the latest victim. Strangely, Stone believes the criminal to be telling the truth but the case has become more complex than he initially believed. This film sees few longtime co-stars making an appearance and is sadly, the last film to feature Reggie the dog. Additionally, this is the first (and so far, the only) Jesse Stone film to premiere on Hallmark.
You might be able to catch the Jesse Stone films on CBS or Hallmark, but if you want to watch them in order, you can rent them on Amazon Prime or YouTube. Here’s hoping for a final movie sometime soon!