'Death in Paradise' Spinoff 'Return to Paradise' is a Breath of Fresh Aussie Air

It was only a matter of time for the Para-verse (sorry, not Telly Vision’s term) to once again wrestle itself out of its comfort zone. "The Para-verse," for those unaware, is the unlovely term for the BBC/BritBox’s Death in Paradise franchise, which has expanded to Beyond Paradise, and now, Return to Paradise.

To begin at the beginning, Death in Paradise first premiered in 2011, set in the fictional Caribbean island of Saint-Marie. Beginning with Ben Miller as DI Richard Poole, a series of London detectives are sent to solve island murders. It aired (and still does) in winter when a bit of Caribbean warmth and light are welcome in England. Miller was killed off after two seasons, succeeded by Kris Marshall (Season 3–6), Ardal O'Hanlon (Season 6–9), Ralf Little (Season 9–13), and current lead Don Gilet. Marshall, as DI Humphrey Goodman, helms Beyond Paradise, in which he performs eccentric acts of detection in the gorgeous, sunny scenery of Devon. The third season debuts in October 2025 on BritBox.

Now – drumroll – we have a spin-off set in Australia, Return to Paradise, and our fish-out-of-water police officer is a woman. (It’s about time!) More than that, DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Samson) is driven, serious, and not afraid to speak her mind. She can be intimidating, and dresses for the part in a black pants-vest-jacket combo with a subdued shirt that would look right at home in London, but is totally incongruous Down Under.