Watching – Death in Paradise (2011 – Ongoing)

Murder She Wrote was based in a cozy little town where the rate of murders was so high that they had to start killing off the tourists and eventually send J.B. Fletcher to other locations for murders to be uncovered. Death in Paradise is cut from a similar cloth, with a murder of the week in a tropical paradise being investigated by a misfit British DI and his Scooby crew of officers.

As murder mysteries go, it’s a pretty light tone of comedic moments (usually centered around the British DI as a fish out of water or one of his quirks) with a bouncy Caribbean musical score. The formula starts with the murder tease before the intro, followed by a B plot that will parallel the murder investigation. The clues get displayed in a manner determined by the DI (they each had their own method) and after a few false conclusions, the solution comes from an off hand remark (often related to the B plot) that breaks the case and leads to gathering the suspects for the final reveal and the arrest. It’s a pretty standard format and there’s enough evidence shown that the viewer has a fair chance of coming to the conclusion by the end as well.

Over the many seasons, the cast has changed multiple times but the roles remain very similar. At this time, I’m up to about season 9 so haven’t caught up to the most recent seasons, but so far what I’ve observed –

The British Detective Inspector

A fish out of water who has a keen deductive mind, stuck with the job on the island for reasons. Each has some distinct quirk that produces comedic beats. His personality in many ways sets the tone of the team and the investigation method.

• Richard Poole: Refuses to give up his suit and strict protocol and succumb to the comforts of island life.
• Humphrey Goodman: On the surface, chaotic and scatter brained and physically awkward, but makes connections no one else sees.
• Jack Mooney: He’s a dad and a detective in the mold of Columbo, puttering about with an amusing anecdote for for every occasion.
• Neville Parker: Deeply uncomfortable in almost every situation and allergic to just about everything found on the island.

The Competent Detective Sergeant

She knows her stuff and is many ways is as competent as the DI. Sometimes she’s part of unresolved romantic tension with a particular DI but thankfully not always.

The Senior Officer

For pretty much all the seasons I’ve watched, Danny John-Jules (who also played Cat on Red Dwarf) filled the role as the officer who played fast and loose with the rules, knew just about everyone on both sides of the law, and always a charmer with an eye for the ladies. Working with the various DIs straightened out his ways some and he became a mentor for the junior officer, eventually passing the torch to his protege JP Hooper.

The Junior Officer

Still learning the ropes, but their past experience gives them insight. They have a significant character arc, sometimes professionally and almost always in growing into a more responsible officer.

Harry

Harry is the lizard that adopts the current DI in their beachside residence. Harry provides someone for the DI to speak their mind and reveal their inner thoughts, be it about the case or their emotion state.

Catherine & Commissioner Patterson

These two are present for pretty much the entire series so far. Catherine owns the bar where the team meet up and provides them with insights and advice. Commissioner Patterson is the the top cop who often appears as a stodgy bureaucrat, but his first priority is to the people of the island and their well being. As often as he’s come down hard on the team, he’s had their back when needed. If the team is a family, these two could be considered the parental supervision.

Worth Watching

Even though the format is murder-of-the-week, there’s a couple of subplots and character arcs going on that work better when watching the show in sequence. Fortunately it’s pretty easy to track down episodes on various streams and seasons at the public library. The change up in the cast keeps things interesting even as the episode formula remains largely the same. Overall, it’s a comfortable cozy mystery show that I’m happy to continue watching.