‘Death in Paradise’ Renewed Through Season 17
'Death in Paradise' will continue solving crimes on the beautiful island of St. Marie through 2028, as the BBC confirms the show will return for two more seasons.
There are two things in life that are constants: Taxes and Death... Death in Paradise, that is. Detectives come and go, spinoffs arrive and beget more spinoffs. But the island of Saint Marie is eternal, continuing to host random British guest stars week after week, only for them to kill one another so that the locals have more crimes to solve. So it has been, and so it shall be, at least through 2028, as the BBC has extended the show for another two rounds of installments, through Season 17, with the usual obligatory Christmas specials.
Lindsay Salt, the Director of BBC Drama, said as part of the announcement: “Death in Paradise is a global phenomenon and we are incredibly proud to have it on the BBC, where it goes from strength to strength. It’s with great pleasure that we share the news that we’ll be returning to Saint Marie for two more sun-soaked series and Christmas specials.”
She’s not wrong either. It’s not just the longevity of Death in Paradise that makes it a phenomenon; it’s that the premise (fish-out-of-water detective solves crimes in a beautiful place they hate) has now been taken twice and applied to places that aren’t as exotic as the fictional island it started with (for heaven’s sake, Devon is practically commuting distance from London!), and they are just as big a hits as the original.
As usual, there is no synopsis for Season 16 at this stage, since the series is all case-of-the-week episodes (and occasionally case-of-the-holiday-themed specials). However, Tim Key, one of the show’s main executive producers for Red Planet Pictures, hinted that the show has a few tricks up its sleeve for the new season:
“We remain incredibly proud of the show and the team that makes it, and delighted that the audience continues to love it as much as we do. The response to our latest series has been wonderful, and we can’t wait to get started again - we’ve got something very special lined up to kick off our 16th season, with a big surprise setting it up in our Christmas special.”
Notably, the entire current ensemble has been confirmed to have signed on for Season 16. That includes Don Gilet (Sherwood) as DI Mervin Wilson alongside series stalwarts Don Warrington (King Lear) as Commissioner Selwyn Patterson, Élizabeth Bourgine (The Madame Blanc Mysteries) as Catherine Bordey, Shantol Jackson (Beyond Paradise) as DS Naomi Thomas, Shaquille Ali-Yebuah (Solo: A Star Wars Story) as PC Sebastian Rose, and Catherine Garton (The War Between the Land & the Sea) as Sergeant Mattie Fletcher. The guest cast will be announced in due course.
Death in Paradise, as well as its multiple spinoffs, was created by Robert Thorogood, who handed over lead writer duties to James Hall after Season 10. Directors for Season 16 include Leon Lopez, Jamie Annett, Jesse Quinones, and Di Patrick, with Helen Burt producing. Thorogood remains an executive producer alongside Key, Tony Jordan, Belinda Campbell, Alex Jones, and Tommy Bulfin for the BBC.
Death in Paradise Season 15 is currently streaming on BritBox with new episodes every Tuesday through mid-June. The 2026 Christmas Special is expected to arrive in December, with Season 16 following in 2027. Seasons 1-14 are available to stream on BritBox.
Death in Paradise
Sign up for full access to Telly Visions' recaps and reviews!
