‘Big Sky: Deadly Trails’: Meet the New Players in Season 3 Mystery

Sheriff Beau Arlen (Jensen Ackles)

“In the first episode, we see a human side of Beau,” Reid reveals. He left Texas to be near his daughter, Emily (Cree Cicchino), when her mom, Carla (Angelique Cabral), moved to Montana. “He really wants to be in Emily’s life,” Reid says, adding that both Beau’s and Jensen’s humor inspired a format tweak: “In addition to telling our main mystery, we’re doing a [quickly solved] crime each week.”

Sunny Barnes (Reba McEntire)

ABC/Michael Moriatis

Backcountry outfitter Sunny and her family (including husband Buck, played by McEntire’s real-life boyfriend, Rex Linn) run a luxurious camping (“glamping”) experience for rich tourists. “She’s a former rodeo queen with a big secret that’s going to cause her to do things that are a bit questionable,” says Reid, who “gingerly” asked the country superstar if she minded playing someone with an edge. “Sunny will do anything to defend her family, even when they don’t deserve it.”

Avery (Henry Ian Cusick)

ABC/Michael Moriatis

This tech entrepreneur goes glamping to get closer to his stepdaughter, Emily. Yes, that Emily — Avery is married to Beau’s ex-wife. “Beau probably wants to punch this guy in the face,” Reid says. Maybe Avery’s OK? “Henry is such a fun actor to play with,” the producer observes, “because he can go different ways.”

Cormac Barnes (Luke Mitchell)

ABC/Michael Moriatis

Sunny’s son, “a very handsome cowboy” who helps lead the wilderness trips, enjoys a blossoming flirtation with local PI Cassie Dewell (Kylie Bunbury), Reid notes. “You’re going to be surprised by Cormac…but it’s Big Sky, and I don’t want to make too many promises.” Uh-oh. Is an accidental “fall” off a cliff ahead?

Walter (Seth Gabel)

A loner living in a cabin in the woods is almost certainly up to no good, right? “Walter is a really fun, creepy, strange character,” Reid says. “You don’t know his motivation.” Does the hunter have anything to do with the hushed-up history of missing glamping clients? Or is he a witness instead of a killer?

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Reba McEntire Meets Jensen Ackles in 'Big Sky' Sneak Peek

Virginia “Gigi” Cessna (Rosanna Arquette)

This charismatic con artist happens to be mother of undersheriff Jenny, who disrupts her daughter’s life when she debarks in Helena with an “interesting angle,” the EP teases. “We’ve wondered what drives Jenny’s aggression.” Maybe the fact that Gigi used her own kid in her grifts? “Seeing her with her mother explains a lot about her character.”

Big Sky: Deadly Trails, Season 3 Premiere, Wednesday, September 21, 10/9c, ABC

This is an excerpt from TV Guide Magazine’s 2022 Returning Favorites issue. For more first looks at fall’s returning shows, pick up the issue, on newsstands now.