Death in Paradise

It's 2020, and I'll try and give my thoughts, a snapshot on the series so far. It's still remarkably successful, it's even now commanding massive audiences, greater than the first few series even.

It's normally transmitted in January, it's cold, wet and after Christmas, a little bit grim. Death in Paradise offers sunshine, fun and murder.

We will all have our favourites as to best Detective and favourite cops, but each has had their moments, I've enjoyed them all. We've had some terrific episodes, my favourite story thus far has been 2019's Beyond the Shining Sea, it showed that years after it started it could still shock, entertain and remain hugely relevant, the show has never suffered fatigue or become stale.

It comes as no surprise to me that it keeps on going. 8/10

This show began as a master craft of wit and a perfect balance of sexual tension .. I gave the first 2 seasons with Ben Miller and Sara Martins a perfect 10 .. Then the wit and sarcasm were replaced with the fumbling milquetoast Kris Marshall and thus began the descent ...then Sara Martins leaves and poof ..the decline hastens ... Oh, I almost failed to mention the replacement of Gary Carr, this was just the last nail in the coffin.. From a solid 10 to a marginal 7 .. What a shame ... This was my favorite show .. Once upon a time. The entire premise of the show was replaced with characters ,who in other venues might have added something to the story but us viewers having feasted on the wit and sarcasm of D.I. Poole which played off perfectly against Sara Martins attempts to loosen his tie and her admiration for his intellect are now left asking

who these characters are and why we should be interested in the mundane .

Totally delightful. Very clean so far which is refreshing. I don't have to worry about who watches it, or be embarrassed. My hubby and I are veteran mystery fans in all genres. We seldom guess the ending or the twists along the way. Clever plots. Accents do take a little getting used to and I sometimes just don't catch what they say. And like most productions these days, the ambient noise blurs the dialog a bit--wish all films would just quit doing that. Lead man, DI Poole, is a great character--combines a little of Miss Marple and Poirot. Sara Martins is exotically gorgeous and a good character. Sometimes it starts to slide towards cheesiness but usually stops short so keeps the show from becoming slapstick. Goofy characters make me switch channels and this show doesn't have one. Have now got other family hooked on it. I hope it has a long run.

I love this show despite the constant character changes. Sadly, it seems the writing and characters are all losing authenticity and the storylines are getting weaker and weaker. Having lived in the Caribbean, I love the blend of Europe and the Caribbean, but I would humbly suggest going back to the original seasons with Ben Miller and Sara Martins to find that old magic that worked so well back then.

Special mention to Danny John -Jules, Josephine Jobert, Gary Carr, Tobi Blake and Ardal O'Hanlon from previous seasons. Dan Warrington of course, and Elizabeth Bourgine continue on as favourites.

Death in Paradise is very easy to watch, even if you despise the old fashioned workings of the likes of Miss Marple and Poiroit you can grow to love this murder mystery.

Set in more sunnier climbs than your usual crime drama, the quirky Caribbean police force combined with some brilliant acting from Ben Miller (The hapless, yet genius detective)this has all the recipe for a fun loving watch that isn't as dark and dreary as other such shows allowing for the thrill of the chase as the team track down the evidence in their ramshackle police hut and jungle 4x4 (not as classy as your usual detective company car)

All in all a brilliant series that is brimming with rich and colourful characters and story lines that captivate the imagination as this somewhat old genre is taken to new territory. Whether you watch one episode in a bit of spare time or you decide to emerse yourself with all 8 episodes, Death in Paradise does not disappoint and hopefully will return for a second series with even more Carribbean Crime!