Beyond Paradise

A spin-off of the Death in Paradise series, Beyond Paradise follows detective Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) after he left to start a new life with his fiancée Martha Lloyd (Sally Bretton). The two move to the Devon seaside town of Shipton Abbott, where Martha begins pursuing her dream of opening a restaurant and Humphrey joins the local police force, immediately shaking up the police station dynamics with his eccentric personality.

While the show is a spin-off, a lot of care has gone into its visual and narrative identity to ensure that it stands on its own, allowing viewers who haven’t seen Death in Paradise to hop on without losing out on the experience, while retaining enough of its sister show’s narrative DNA to satisfy seasoned fans (including the occasional fanservice bone thrown their way).

Of course, it wouldn’t be a detective series without some mysteries, and if Beyond Paradise’s first episode is anything to go by, viewers will be in for a lot of fun with Humphrey’s sleuthing in Shipton Abbott. Marshall puts in a great performance as Humphrey, bringing a Columbo-esque scruffy charm to the role and bouncing off his co-stars well, particularly in his dynamic with straight-laced DS Esther Williams (Zahra Ahmadi).

The show’s first mystery is perhaps on the simple side, but that doesn’t stop it from being very entertaining to follow, with just enough twists and turns to keep proceedings interesting. Its take on the classic denouement scene is another highlight of the piece’s storytelling, and an effective representation of how Beyond Paradise builds on what has come before while adding its unique spin.

Shipton Abbott isn’t just a site of creative criminal activity, and while the mystery-solving takes up the lion’s share of the narrative, Beyond Paradise also takes some time to explore Humphrey and Martha’s relationship. There’s some typical drama afoot, including awkward experiences with in-laws and insecurities about old flames, but the writers also used the storytelling potential of this new couple to tackle important subjects that don’t often get featured in love stories.

Overall, Beyond Paradise is a great time. It’s not the most complex story in the world, but it’s cute and funny with just enough meat on its bones in its character development and detective shenanigans to make for an engaging and compelling TV experience.

Umar Ali

Beyond Paradise is released on BBC One and BBC iPlayer on 24^th February 2023.

Watch the trailer for Beyond Paradise here: