Return to Paradise

Both Return to Paradise and Beyond Paradise lack the verve, spark and colour of the original, Beyond Paradise. I agree with another poster that the main character, Mackenzie Clarke, is hard to like. I assume the producers will realise this and her character could easily be tweaked for the next season (should there be one - the door was, not surprisingly, left open for a second run and ratings for the first season were solid). The other characters are eclectic and likeable, the murders confounding, the "love triangle" is somewhat unsatisfactory, and the scenery is great, so there is plenty to work with and improve. Return to Paradise has potential....

Used a VPN to watch and it exceeded my expectations. I thought it would be a fun watch but not live up to the main show and Beyond Paradise. But I would have to say that I'm impressed by EP 1. Mackenzie is very strong as a lead character and I'm really liking the dynamics, especially between her and Philomena. I really like the nods and ties to Death in Paradise.

I'm really excited to see more and for it to eventually be aired on BBC One so more people will see it. Very strong spin off and I'm glad it's a part of the paraverse, I've seen that it had a strong debut in Australian which gives me hope they'll want to produce more in the future (if the rest go well as well of course).

I saw some people say Mackenzie is female Richard, I would have to disagree, but that's just me.

I did look forward to this series and loving the scenery of the South Coast of NSW. One of my favourite holiday destinations. Going into the story I was struck that it had the familiar elements of "Sea Change", the lead even looked like Sigrid Thornton, but the vet was no Diver Dan. They maybe over doing the "quirky", however, I'm willing to keep going, if only for the scenery. The other characters are what you might expect from the original series, the gruff but likeable commander, a ditzy pc. Somehow, this might have more of a personal story attached other than catching the crook. Australians are good at detective drama/comedy so let's hope this turns into a gem.

Beautiful scenery backdrops a murder mystery show led by a quirky detective with a shady past. The humor is light although the first episode didn't have the intriguing plot that the French/British series it's based on has. It's passable, but the lead actress doesn't seem' comfortable in her role as a weird police officer with commitment issues and an emotional retinue understaffed. Her facial expressions tend towards pantomime. She over does the confusion of other's responses to her which seems unlikely given it's a personality trait. The second episode was better and the lead seemed more convincing in her role as a sociopath. This is an ok show but lacks the Caribbean vibe of the original. Recommended to soft mystery fans.

I love the combination of a Sea Change setting, music and Aussie & Brit characters, with the Death In Paradise style. The theme song is just like the Sea Change theme - and I'm waiting for SeaChange's Magistrate Laura Gibson (Sigrid Thornton) to turn up. Nice when DI Mackenzie called DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O'Hanlon) at. New Scotland Yard in London. Retired teacher and police volunteer Reggie Rocco (Cecilia Ireland) gives the show that dinkum Aussie character - "we're as good as any toffs - everyone's equal in Australia" - which makes the show different to the somewhat colonial Death In Paradise. Also good to see an indigenous (Aboriginal) Aussie - Aaron McGrath, as Constable Felix Wilkinson. The UK audience will like Detective Senior Constable Colin Cartwright (Lloyd Griffiths), who liked Dolphin Cove and has moved from the UK. Perhaps in future episodes, we'll also see retired Detective Sergeant Jack Darby (Bryan Browne) and retired British clinical nurse Joan Kirkhope (Greta Scacchi) from Darby and Joan.