Whodunits don’t have to always be intense and dark. Sometimes, it can live in a zany space and BritBox’s “Death in Paradise” exemplifies this perfectly.
The series took a fish-out-of-water approach by getting its various British detective anchors to adjust to life on the fictional island of Saint Marie. While brilliant at solving crimes, they have a social awkwardness about them.
But, in mingling with the locals, they eventually found their stride.
Having binged on -all the available seasons, I was super excited to learn that there was a spinoff series, “Beyond Paradise”.
Even better, it was with one of my favourite leads – Kris Marshall as DI Humphrey Goodman.
While it doesn’t have the island vibe fans have become accustomed to, it does have engaging characters and fascinating murder cases.
In the original series, Humphrey decided that he wasn’t going to lose his second shot at love and followed Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton), a restaurateur whom he met during her holiday to the island, to her hometown in Shipton Abbott, near the Devon coast.
Given his experience, he is welcomed into the fold of the police. This time around, he is supported by Detective Sergeant Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi), who is more of a take-charge kind of person, a greenhorn PC Kelby Hartford (Dylan Llewellyn) and office support worker Margo Martins (Felicity Montagu).
The spin-off remains true to the blueprint of the original series. As before, Humphrey struggles with the work and personal life balance.
And there are a few hiccups on the personal front, especially when his fiancée’s ex becomes her new business partner in the restaurant.
Available on BritBox, “Beyond Paradise” is a wonderful mix of oddball characters and compelling crime-solving.