How many Death Valley episodes are there? A guide to both the BBC mystery and the MTV original
Two completely unrelated shows share the name Death Valley, and search results love mashing them together: a BBC cosy-crime hit set in Wales, and an MTV horror mockumentary set in California. Depending on which one you're after, the episode count is either growing by the year or frozen for good — here's the full picture for both.
The BBC mystery: 12 episodes and counting
The Welsh Death Valley pairs Timothy Spall as John Chapel — a retired actor who once played the beloved TV detective Caesar — with Gwyneth Keyworth as DS Janie Mallowan, the socially awkward officer who happens to be his biggest fan. Created and written by Paul Doolan, it became an instant hit: the opening episode drew 2.9 million overnight viewers, the biggest launch for a new scripted BBC comedy in more than six years.
The Guardian called it "a cosy, witty joy" in its May 2025 review.
The count so far:
- Series 1 — 6 episodes, from 25 May 2025 on BBC One.
- Series 2 — 6 episodes, from 17 May 2026, with the full boxset on BBC iPlayer from day one and weekly episodes on BBC One. Janie starts the series newly promoted to Detective Inspector — and not speaking to John, who has been secretly dating her mum.
- Total — 12 episodes, each about 45 minutes. Roughly nine hours end to end.
A third series hasn't been announced as of July 2026, but the recommission after series 1 came within weeks, so the odds look decent. Outside the UK, both series stream on BritBox.
One detail worth knowing: Janie Mallowan's name is a double Agatha Christie tribute — Mallowan was Christie's married name, and Janie nods to Jane Marple.
The MTV original: 12 episodes, full stop
The other Death Valley could not be more different. MTV's 2011 series is a horror-comedy mockumentary following the Undead Task Force, a police unit rounding up the vampires, zombies, and werewolves that have overrun California's San Fernando Valley — shot in the ride-along style of Cops, with considerably more decapitation.
It premiered in August 2011, ran for a single 12-episode season, and MTV cancelled it in 2012. That's the complete run: no second season, no revival, twelve episodes of roughly 22 minutes each.