'Beyond Paradise' Season 3 Sets an October Premiere as 'Return to Paradise' Debuts on BritBox

Summer may be drawing to a close, but September will kick off three months of BritBox's Tuesday Night run of cozy crimes in a beach town programming, as Return to Paradise Season 1 and Beyond Paradise Season 3 will debut in back-to-back runs this fall.

Fans of the Death in Paradise series and spinoff shows (which we are steadfastly refusing to refer to as "the para-verse") were surprised in May 2025 when Return to Paradise, the newest variation of the series, was announced as debuting in the U.S. Not because it was crossing the pond, that was practically a given, considering that both the parent show and first spinoff Beyond Paradise are substantial hits for BritBox. But it was where the series debuted that was surprising: Ovation. The cable network, which divested itself of its streaming ability in the past year, is also the home of Murdoch Mysteries, airing episodes months before they arrive on Acorn TV. But Return to Paradise was also a bit of an odd duck. Technically a British-produced show, it's set in Australia, with only the slimmest of tie-ins to St. Marie, making it awkward for the U.K.-focused BritBox, but also not suited for Acorn TV, which tends to pick up Oceania-based shows, since BritBox is a direct competitor.

Ovation's lack of streaming service, however, made it an ideal testing ground to see how much pull the title had, and also left streaming rights available to anyone who liked what they saw. It must have been pretty good, because BritBox has gotten over the Oz of it all and will debut Return to Paradise starting in September 2025. The six-episode series will air weekly through mid-October, directly followed by the debut of Beyond Paradise Season 3, which BritBox has been holding since April as part of its plan to create a better year-round service. 

Here's BritBox's version of the Return to Paradise synopsis:

Set in the idyllic, beachside hamlet of Dolphin Cove, Return to Paradise is a series of six gripping, twisting, and fiendishly clever murder mysteries – all set against the spectacular backdrop of the Australian coastal landscape. Australian expat Mackenzie Clarke is the seemingly golden girl of the London Metropolitan Police force – with an intuitive approach to detective work, she has built a reputation for cracking the most impossible cases. However, she has found herself being forced to up-sticks and move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove, a beautiful, surfers' paradise and Mackenzie’s worst nightmare. 

Having escaped her hometown at the earliest opportunity six years ago, Mackenzie vowed she'd never return, leaving a lot of unfinished business and unanswered questions. On her return, she’s still no fan of the town, and the people of Dolphin Cove are certainly no fans of hers; everyone would prefer her not to be there, including Mackenzie herself. But when a murder takes place in Dolphin Cove, Mack can’t help but put her inspired detective brilliance to good use and determines, despite her reservations, that she needs to make the best of it, including tying up the loose ends with the ex-fiancé she left behind.

Anna Samson (Home and Away) stars as DI Mackenzie Clarke, is joined by Tai Hara (Colin From Accounts) as Forensic Pathologist Glenn Strong, Mackenzie’s former fiancé; Catherine McClements (Ms Fisher’s Modern Murder Mysteries) as Sr Sgt Philomena Strong, Mackenzie’s boss and Glenn’s mother; Lloyd Griffith (Nolly) as DSC Colin Cartwright; Aaron McGrath (Gold Diggers) as Constable Felix Wilkinson; Celia Ireland (Wentworth) as Reggie Rocco, as Andrea Demetriades (The Artful Dodger) as Glenn’s new girlfriend, Daisy Dixon. Ardal O’Hanlon, who starred in Death in Paradise from Seasons 6 through 9 as DI Jack Mooney, reprises that role as Season 1's vague excuse to tie the series to St. Marie.

Here's the Beyond Paradise Season 3 synopsis:

The hit spin-off from Death in Paradise returns as DI Humphrey Goodman and fiancée Martha face more challenges in their new life by the coast. Set against the idyllic backdrop of Devon and Cornwall, the Shipton Abbott team solves more intriguing crimes, including the discovery of a body in the river on the county border, a baffling chocolate box poisoning, a historic farming feud, and a spiking incident on the water. Away from the police station, Martha and Humphrey try to overcome unexpected hurdles as foster parents, while the reappearance of Martha’s old flame Archie presents an unexpected challenge. Esther navigates a surprise encounter in her private life, a health scare for Anne stirs up painful memories, and Kelby embarks on a journey of personal growth.

Kris Marshall (Sanditon) returns as DI Humphrey Goodman, with Sally Bretton (Lewis) as his partner, Martha Lloyd. The cast also features Barbara Flynn (The Durrells in Corfu) as Martha's mother, Anne Lloyd; Zahra Ahmadi (The Beast Must Die) as DS Esther Williams; Dylan Llewellyn (Derry Girls) as PC Kelby Hartford; Felicity Montagu (Tom Jones) as Margo Martins; no-longer-a-newcomer Melina Sinadinou as Ester's daughter, Zoe Williams; Jade Harrison (The Midwich Cuckoos) as big boss CS Charlie Woods; Chris Jenks (Karen Pirie) as Charlie's son, Josh Woods; Jamie Bamber (Cannes Confidential) as Archie Hughes; Eva Feiler (The Crown) as Nurse Lucy; Amalia Vitale (Big Mood) as Hannah; Chizzy Akudolu (Best Interests) as Reverend Kate; and last but not least, Selwyn the Duck (Quack)! 

Season 3's guest stars include Steve Oram (D.I. Ray), Gabby Best (There She Goes), Hugh Dennis (The Couple Next Door), Kevin McNally (Miss Austen), Caroline Quentin (The Lazarus Project), Angela Curran (Doc Martin), Abra Thompson (Showtrial), Joseph Ollman (Queenie), Alexandra Gilbreath (Becoming Elizabeth), Alicia Charles (Father Brown), Matthew Gravelle (Silent Witness), Brandon Fellows (Dead Hot), Abdul Salis (The Wheel of Time), Jason Hughes (Midsomer Murders), Silas Carson (The Gold), Syreeta Kumar (Fool Me Once), Amy Morgan (Mr Selfridge), Oliver Hembrough (The White Princess), Murray McArthur (Game of Thrones), and Dean Boodaghians-Nolan (House of the Dragon).

Series creators Robert Thorogood and Tony Jordan return for Beyond Paradise Season 3 as the show's lead writers, Sandy Johnson returns to direct, and Lindsay Hughes returns to produce. Return to Paradise is co-created and written by Peter Mattessi, James Hall, and Robert Thorogood. 

Return to Paradise Season 1 debuts on BritBox on Tuesday, September 2, 2025, and will stream one episode a week on Tuesdays through mid-October. Season 2 is already in production. Beyond Paradise Season 3 debuts Tuesday, October 14, and will stream one episode a week through the end of November 2025. Season 4 is also already in production. All 14 seasons of the parent show, Death in Paradise, and Seasons 1 and 2 of Beyond Paradise are streaming on BritBox.