Cottontail Mysteries

Cottontail Mysteries, later known as simply Cottontail, is a mystery-drama television series that is a spin-off of Tawny Knoll, a childrens' television series that aired on PBS. Despite Tawny Knoll being a childrens' show, Cottontail is geared towards an older audience and has slightly darker content.

The series focuses on Lucille Cottontail, a young and perky female rabbit who works as an amateur detective in consultation with the Newspring City Police Department.

Conception
In season 13, episode 19 of Tawny Knoll, Lucille Cottontail is introduced as the plucky detective who helps the Tawny family after their home is robbed. Lucille appears sporadically throughout the rest of the thirteenth season. After Season 13 of Tawny Knoll finished airing, it was announced on July 17, 2021, that PBS had picked up Cottontail Mysteries as a spin-off series to Tawny Knoll, focusing completely on Detective Cottontail solving mysteries in the bustling Newspring City.

First season (2021)
Season 1 of Cottontail Mysteries aired on September 17, 2021 as a back-to-back premiere alongside the premiere of Tawny Knoll's fourteenth season. As opposed to Tawny Knoll's eleven-minute episodes, Cottontail Mysteries episodes are about 45 minutes long each.

PBS ordered 13 episodes for the first season. The final episode of Season 1 aired on December 10, 2021. Cottontail Mysteries was a success, greatly surpassing the ratings of Tawny Knoll and quickly gaining a loyal following from older fans.

When Tawny Knoll was cancelled after fourteen seasons, Cottontail Mysteries was renewed for a second season of 13 episodes.

Second season (2022)
Season 2 premiered on August 22, 2022, moving from Friday night to Monday night. The thirteenth and final episode of Season 2 aired on November 14, 2022.

Cottontail Mysteries was renewed for a third season of 13 episodes on October 2, 2022, while Season 2 was still airing.

Third season (2023)
Season 3 begun airing on August 14, 2023, and ended on November 6, 2023.