Get Ready for Another ‘Death in Paradise’ Spinoff—This Time, We’re Heading Down Under

Death in Paradise fans just keep winning. After the tremendous success of Death in Paradise’s first spinoff, Beyond Paradise, the BBC has announced a second spinoff that will take viewers on a murderous adventure to the Australian coast. Get ready for Return to Paradise.

It’s no wonder the BBC is eager to expand the “Paraverse”—Beyond Paradise, which launched in February 2023, became one of the U.K.’s most-watched dramas for the year. Death in Paradise, similarly, has consistently been one of the BBC’s biggest hits and has been distributed globally to over 240 territories.

Death in Paradise is gearing up to release its 13th season in January, while Beyond Paradise seems set to debut its sophomore season in February. Meanwhile, Return to Paradise will begin filming next year. Though there’s no official release date yet, it seems likely that Return to Paradise will air while audiences wait for new seasons of Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise, which usually release early in the year. Perhaps, then, Return to Paradise will brighten up the BBC’s summer or fall schedule.

The show will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer in the U.K., and the series will be distributed globally by BBC Studios. Death in Paradise has previously aired in the U.S. on PBS, while Beyond Paradise has been available exclusively on BritBox, so either could become Return to Paradise’s U.S. broadcaster.

What is Return to Paradise about?

One of the things that is so appealing about both Death in Paradise and Beyond Paradise is the “fish out of water” premise. In both shows, brilliant yet somewhat bumbling detectives find themselves in a gorgeous locale, struggling to immerse themselves in the local culture. Most importantly, though, the Paraverse’s murder mysteries are always creative and compelling, making for fun, lighthearted, and cozy detective series. Our favorite kind.

Return to Paradise will carry on that legacy. The BBC’s official synopsis reads:

“Australian ex-pat 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 being able to crack the most impossible of cases. However, she’s suddenly forced to up sticks and move back to her childhood home of Dolphin Cove, a beautiful, coastal paradise … and Mackenzie’s worst nightmare.

Having escaped her hometown at the earliest opportunity six years ago, Mack vowed she’d never come back, 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. In fact 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 man she left at the altar six years ago.”

Return to Paradise’s first season will consist of six episodes in total, to be written by Peter Mattessi, Elizabeth Coleman, Alexandra Collier, and Kodie Bedford. The cast hasn’t been announced yet.

Prepare yourselves for more beaches, sunshine, and murder!

(featured image: BBC)