'Return to Paradise' Sets Date for U.K. Debut
Anna Samson as Detective Inspector Mackenzie Clarke and Catherine McClements as Senior Sergeant Philomena Strong in 'Return to Paradise' Season 1
ABC iview
When Death in Paradise debuted in 2011, it was just supposed to be a cute little Ben Miller (Professor T) vehicle in which he played DI Richard Poole, a fish-out-of-water, pale-faced, stuffy white colonialist who crankily hated living in a relaxing paradise. But life imitating art turned out to be a problem, as Miller did hate living and working in paradise, as it took him away from his wife and baby son for too many months out of the year. Over a decade later, the series is now on its fifth detective and third series in the franchise, as the newest entry into the "Para-verse," Return to Paradise, arrives on the BBC.
Return to Paradise is a riskier bet than Death in Paradise's first spinoff series, Beyond Paradise, which kicked off the franchise expansion by bringing back DI Poole's initial replacement, fan-favorite DI Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall), and his love interest from the series, Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton) for their own crime-solving series. Despite having several more detectives who have come and gone from St. Marie who could anchor their own variations, the Paradise producers decided to try an entry based more on location than crossover actors. Return to Paradise stars an entirely new roster of characters living in a completely different paradise, this one in Australia.
Set in the wild paradise of Australia's Sapphire Coast in New South Wales, the newest entry is about as far as you can get from Saint-Marie as it is from the U.K., which is why none of the original detectives made sense to wind up there. Instead, the new series is less more of a "spiritual spinoff," refashioning the show's original premise of a detective forced to solve cases in one of the most beautiful places on Earth when, in reality, they'd rather be just about anywhere else.
Return to Paradise Season 1 debuted in Australia in September 2024 to decent reviews, and the BBC has now set an airdate for the northern hemisphere in November 2024. Here's the synopsis:
Return to Paradise follows DI Mackenzie Clarke, an Australian ex-pat who’s made a name in London’s Metropolitan Police for cracking uncrackable murder cases. When accused of tampering with evidence, Mackenzie returns to Australia, the last place she ever wanted to be – her hometown of Dolphin Cove. Having fled the town six years ago, infamously leaving her ex-fiancée Glenn at the altar, Mackenzie is not welcome.
But with no other job options and a unique talent for solving a mystery, no matter how challenging, a reluctant Mack joins the team at Dolphin Cove Police Station. Once a case lands on her desk, she can’t rest until she’s figured it out, and the killer is handcuffed. It’s that tenacity and work ethic that might, over time, help Mackenzie win over her new colleagues, and the people of Dolphin Cove.
Anna Samson as Mackenzie Clarke in 'Return to Paradise'
John Platt/BBC
The series stars Anna Samson (Jack Irish) as DI Mackenzie Clarke, alongside a main cast that includes 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.
As all good spinoffs do, the series will connect to the parent show via guest star appearance; in this case, it’s Ardal O’Hanlon as the lead detective from Death in Paradise who replaced Marshall’s DI Goodman in Season 6 nd lasted through 9, DI Jack Mooney.
The series is co-created and executive-produced by Peter Mattessi, James Hall, and Robert Thorogood. The producer is Di Haddon. Executive producers for BBC Studios Productions Australia are Kylie Washington and Warren Clarke, for Red Planet Pictures are Belinda Campbell and Tim Key, and for ABC are Rachel Okine and Brett Sleigh.
Return to Paradise will premiere on the BBC and iPlayer on Friday, November 22, 2024. There is no word on whether the series will come to BritBox with the rest of the Para-verse or if its Australian location will cause Acorn TV to scoop it up first. Either way, the series is almost sure to arrive in America in 2025 on some platform, along with Season 14 of Death in Paradise and Season 3 of Beyond Paradise.
