'Return to Paradise' Season 2's First Images Take Us Back Down Under to Dolphin's Cove

It's official: Return to Paradise is the second hit spin-off produced from the long-running Death in Paradise. The newest edition of the series is a little different than the first two. For one thing, the lead detective has never been to St. Marie (but she knows a guy!). Additionally, the show's locale, instead of being in the U.K. or the French Caribbean, is set in Australia. Meet London Met Detective DI Mackenzie Clarke (Anna Sampson), who has just been sent packing to her home country to work in her hometown station, solving mysteries in the beautiful paradise of Dolphin's Cove.

There was a bit of trepidation with this one. The first spin-off, Beyond Paradise, had several factors working in its favor. It featured Death in Paradise's most popular couple thus far on the show's run, having moved back to the U.K., where they continue solving crimes, now in the far more convenient commuting distance of London. They did a big fanfare rollout, streaming simultaneously on the BBC and BritBox, turning it into an event. 

But this one was riskier, though not because the lead detective was female. She also had zero ties to the main show. It was basically "same premise, different locale, with a vague handwave at continuity" and crossing their fingers that "cranky detective in sunny locals" would be enough to carry the day. Thankfully, it was, turning into a hit first in its home country, then the U.K., and now in the U.S., where it airs on Ovation and streams on BritBox, which, after some hesitation, decided it could accept a show set in Australia.

(We can also probably thank Return to Paradise for BritBox picking up Ten Pound Poms for October.) 

Here's the show's Season 2 synopsis:

The team contends with even more perplexing cases in this series, including the chemical poisoning of a man alone at sea, alongside having to deal with larger-than-life characters like a troublesome rock band who fall under suspicion when one of their members turns up dead.

Beyond her detective duties, Mackenzie is forced to face Glenn’s shocking confession that he still has feelings for her, despite his impending wedding to Daisy, complicating her own feelings toward him even further. Meanwhile, the unexpected arrival of Colin’s old friends from back home starts to crack the mystery behind his decision to leave everything behind and build a new life in the tight-knit community of Dolphin Cove.

Along with Samson, the rest of the core cast returns. 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 fiancee, Daisy Dixon. Season 2 will also once again feature Ardal O’Hanlon as DI Jack Mooney, the series’ vague excuse to tie the series to St. Marie.

Speaking of guest stars, Return to Paradise, like its U.K. and St. Marie-based counterparts, is a haven for guest stars due to its crime-of-the-week format. However, this is filmed in Australia, which means they have an entire homegrown crop of stars coming through instead of importing from Europe. Season 2 will feature Danielle Cormack (The Secrets She Keeps), Roz Hammond (Jack Irish), Justine Clarke (RFDS: Royal Flying Doctor Service), Michelle Lim Davidson (The Newsreader), Simon Lyndon (Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries), Zoe Carides (The Last Anniversary), Greg Stone (The Doctor Blake Mysteries), Meyne Wyatt (The Leftovers), Miah Madden (Paper Dolls), and Aussie-based rock star Tim Rogers, lead singer of You Am I.

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 Season 1 continues on BritBox with new episodes weekly on Tuesdays through mid-October 2025. Beyond Paradise Season 3 picks up right as it concludes, debuting Tuesday, October 14, and will stream one episode a week through the end of November 2025. Return to Paradise Season 2 is expected to air on the BBC and cable channel Ovation in the U.S. in the first half of 2026, before being streamed on BritBox later in the year.

Return to Paradise does not yet have a Season 3 commission, but it is expected to land one soon. Beyond Paradise Season 4 and Death in Paradise Season 15 are already in production and are set to stream on BritBox in 2026. All 14 seasons of Death in Paradise, and Seasons 1 and 2 of Beyond Paradise are available to stream on BritBox.