9 Jesse Stone Movies to Watch

Jesse Stone is a fictional lead character created by Robert B. Parker and featured in a series of detective novels. The character also headlines the Jesse Stone franchise, a series of television films based on Robert’s books. In the films, Jesse plays a former LAPD detective, who later becomes the police chief of Paradise, Massachusetts, small town. His character is tough but also shows the struggles from his past, including failed marriage and drinking issues. The films explore his personal challenges and his professional life, showing how he solves crimes in the complex setting of a small town.

The main series consists of nine novels written by Robert. After his demise in 2010, other writers continued his work and wrote several additional novels in the series. The first eight series of the movies were aired on CBS during 2005-2012 and the ninth series was aired on Hallmark in 2015.

In all nine films, the main lead, Jesse is played by Tom Selleck. Here are his nine movies in order that you can watch!

Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006)

Night Passage was the second movie produced after the first movie, Stone Cold (2005). It’s a prequel to Stone Cold, and was released in January 2006. In this film, Jesse finds his footing as the chief of police in Paradise, Massachusetts. However, his job becomes challenging due to a domestic abuse case and a murder, that affects him personally.

Apart from Tom, the movie stars Saul Rubinek and Viola Davis in the lead roles. Tom’s outstanding performance, combined with the film’s well-planned and well-directed storytelling, makes it a great starting point for the Jesse Stone movie series. Audiences are hooked to the film because of its engaging story and intriguing mystery. While Night Passage eases viewers into the story, Stone Cold jumps straight into the action.

Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (2005)

In this film, Jesse is seen investigating a series of murder cases, all of which share the same technique. He also looks into the rape case of a high school girl, Candance, who later becomes a target for the killers. While Jesse faces challenges in his professional life, he is also seen struggling in his personal life, as his relationship with his ex-wife Jenn is strained and he battles alcoholism.

Since this film was released first, it introduces Jesse without providing a backstory, the details of which are explored in its prequel, i.e., Night Passage.

Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (April 2006)

In Death in Paradise, Jesse is haunted by his girlfriend Abby’s murder and spends time alone at his home as he feels that he is responsible for her death. But he continues talking to his ex-wife back in LA, who urges him to see a psychiatrist who could help him get rid of his alcohol issues. Meanwhile, he is seen investigating the murder case of a girl, whose body was found floating in the lake. This case leads him into the world of organized crime, and a bestselling writer is suspected of murder because of his strange behaviors and desires. However, the situation isn’t as simple as it seems.

Jesse proves he is the right person to protect the small village by finding and stopping a big threat that people might never have expected.

Jesse Stone: Sea Change (May, 2007)

Jesse is still having trouble with drinking and is still seen talking to his ex-wife, who asks him to stop calling as she reveals to him that she is seeing someone who thinks it is strange that they still talk so much. To keep himself busy and divert from alcohol, he takes up a cold case- reopens the murder case of a bank teller. The story also focuses on other cases- an 18-year-old accuses an older man of rape and a deputy who is in a coma after a robbery.

Tom’s excellent performance in this made-for-TV movie earned him nominations for both Emmy Award and Satellite Award.

Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (March, 2009)

This series arrived two years after Sea Change. In this film, Jesse investigates two different cases. In one case, while investigating the shooting and wounding of a state police officer, he uncovers a prostitution ring. In the other one, he investigates a cryptic letter sent to a mother, whose child went missing seven years ago and was presumed dead. The bereaved mother never believed that her child was dead and asks Jesse to reopen the case to find the truth.

Although, the film was not as intense as Sea Changes, it managed to capture both fans and critics’ attention with its cinematography winning several awards.

Jesse Stone: No Remorse (May, 2010)

In this sixth instalment of the series, Jesse faces issues in both his personal and professional lives. The Paradise town council suspends him from his post by due to his lone-wolf attitude and involvement in shootings during encounters with criminals. He was also ordered not to contact his former team. To make things worse, his relationship with his ex-wife worsens when she calls him after a fight with her boyfriend. With all this chaos in his life, Jesse turns back to drinking. Meanwhile, his former colleague, Captain Healey of the state police, asks Jesse’s help as a consultant, as he is baffled by two murders that took place in parking garages.

In this film, the supporting cast takes charge in Jesse’s absence. Despite being the sixth series, the story had potential to keep fans engaged and eager for more.

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost (May 2011)

The seventh instalment of this television film saw a few changes, with Dick Lowry replacing Robert Harmon as director, and the movie, which was typically based on Robert’s novels, is this time based on an original screenplay by Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman.

In this film, Jesse is now independent and investigates the death of a young friend, who was assisting his former colleague Captain Healey with another case. Meanwhile, the village gets a new police chief, who is arrogant and is the son-in-law of a town councilman. Tensions rise between the new chief and Jesse.

Jesse Stone: Benefit of the Doubt (2012)

Like the previous installment, this series is based on an original screenplay by Tom Selleck and Michael Brandman.

In this film, Jesse is portrayed as older and more experienced, highlighting his tough and retired state.

In order to investigate a double homicide case, Jesse returns to his old job as a chief of the Paradise Police Department. The new Chief of Police and another officer get killed in an explosion. Since Jesse’s former partners quit to avoid working with the new chief, Jesse takes charge of the case by himself.

Jesse Stone: Lost in Paradise (October, 2015)

This is the ninth instalment of Jesse Stone’s made-for-television crime drama film. In this movie, Jesse returns to Boston to investigate a possible serial murder case. A murder is linked to a serial killer, who claims that he did not commit the crime. While working on this case, Jesse tries to help a young local girl, Jenny to keep her away from bad influences.

The ninth film has left many possibilities for future movies. However, it has been almost close to nine years since the ninth instalment was released in this franchise, and there has been no new development.

In 2022, Tom had revealed in an interview with TV Express that he is writing a tenth and final Jesse Stone film. However, in a recent interview with TV Insider, Tom said that he might have to write another movie, and it won’t be the final one since everybody loves the character. However, he mentioned that he needs to regroup and doesn’t know what’s next, but he promised to keep working.

Well, we hope Jesse Stone’s fans get to hear good news soon!