Beyond Paradise 2023

Death in Paradise is something special. It's a light crime mystery show. You won't find violent deaths, creepy serial killers, too much drama or sex scenes. It's a show you can watch with your parents. You can say it's a little bit repetitive in its format, I sometimes hope that the main character's colleagues will solve the murders... but the episodes being quite similar to each other it's part of the deal.

Other interesting aspects are the location, a character on its own, and the recurring characters, often funny, but with some backstory that helps you to care about them. So they aren't just comic relief.

Last thing, so I can stop talking about the main show, is the fact that most of the cast changes every 2 or 3 seasons.
And that's quite unique for a show like this.

The idea of a spinoff it's compelling, since we meet again an old friend. My favorite detective from DiP was Jack Mooney (played by Ardal O'Hanlon), but Humphrey Goodman takes the second place in my podium. He is brilliant yet weird (in a good and funny way), and I like how he interacts with other characters. He is often considered strange by his peers (I feel bad for him for that), but it doesn't affect him.

How do you create a spin off of Death in Paradise?
Do you repeat the same formula? Do you change it a little bit? Do you try to understand how DiP is successful and try to mimic its successfulness?
Beyond Paradise tries to bring some familiar elements from Death in Paradise, like giving some screen time to a unique location, while giving us interesting crime cases. I also love when Humphrey explains the solved case in the end. That's quite impressive. But tries to diverge from the main show bringing dramatic themes, like the difficulty of having a baby and feeling incomplete as a couple without a prole.
For me, personally, that part was too dramatic, but the first season created a nice arc for Humphrey and Martha, a heartwarming one, so it helped in the end.

For now I didn't enjoy the other characters as much as I did on DiP. The only one that grew on me was Esther.
The location is nice, but it's not as prominent as the Caribbean settings, maybe because you can create a nice soundtrack with Caribbean music, not so much with these kind of set.
The music from DiP was perfect to help you get in the mood for a Caribbean mystery.

After watching the first season, I must say that I respect the creator's decision to move in other directions, but for season 2 I hope for something lighter and more interesting secondary characters.