Death in Paradise has enjoyed high viewing figures and a generally positive critical reception since its debut, leading to repeated renewals.

[5][6] After he finds the murderer, he is ordered by his supervisors to replace the victim and stay on as the Detective Inspector (DI) of the island, much to his dismay, solving new cases as they appear and being the object of many fish-out-of-water jokes.

[7] At the start of Series 3, Poole is murdered, and clumsy London Detective Inspector Humphrey Goodman (Kris Marshall) arrives to investigate the death of his deadpan predecessor.

In the second half of Series 6, he resigns so he can start a new life in London with his girlfriend Martha Lloyd, after forming a relationship with her while she was staying at Saint Marie on holiday.

Goodman's replacement on Saint Marie is DI Jack Mooney (Ardal O'Hanlon), a recent widower who is grieving the loss of his wife and who assisted the team on a case in London.

Mooney remains on the island until mid-way through Series 9, when he decides he is ready to face the memory of his deceased wife and returns to London with his daughter.

Mooney's replacement is DI Neville Parker (Ralf Little), who initially dislikes being on the island and has severe allergies, especially to mosquito bites.

He comes to the island only because they need a British detective to sign off on a case, and is forced to stay longer after a period of illness renders him temporarily unfit to travel.

He stays on the island until Series 13, where he departs on a yacht to travel and be in a relationship with former Detective Sergeant (DS) Florence Cassell (Joséphine Jobert).

While Death in Paradise has continued to be in the top three most popular programmes on British television, critics have called the crime drama "unremarkable" and "an undemanding detective show, with nice Caribbean scenery.

[14] Gathering the suspects, going through the events and finally identifying, and arresting the murderer is based on the technique Agatha Christie uses in the Miss Marple stories, and some of the Hercule Poirot ones.

[15] The final episode of most series has included a subplot wherein the lead DI is tempted to return to the UK by the prospect of a job offer or personal relationship, but in the end, he decides to remain on the island.

This format was subverted in the sixth series, when the two-part storyline in the fifth and sixth episodes saw the team travel to London to follow up on a current case, resulting in Goodman deciding to remain to be with his new girlfriend, Martha; Mooney travelled back to Saint-Marie, initially as a holiday to help escape the memory of his recently deceased wife, but decided to remain as the new detective inspector of the island.

This format was also subverted in the ninth series; Mooney decided to return to Britain mid-way through the series as he felt that he was ready to face the memory of his dead wife, with the new inspector (DI Neville Parker) initially coming to the island just to sign off on a particular body but kept for a few weeks for health reasons before he decided to remain to face a new challenge.

In the TV show, the fictional Saint Marie island has a volcano, rainforest, sugar plantations, a fishing harbour, an airport, a university, a convent, approximately 100 public beaches and a Crown Court.

[citation needed] Series 3, episode 7 is largely set on an islet just off Saint Marie; it is privately owned and relatively small.

He appears in almost every episode and acts as a sounding board for the Detective Inspector to discuss the status of the current case and his life experiences.

When his family could not join him during the filming of the sixth series, following the birth of his baby daughter, Elsie, it left him feeling "bereft and empty" and he subsequently decided to leave the show.

[31] In July 2020, the BBC announced the departure of Shyko Amos and Legastelois, along with the return of Jobert and the arrival of newcomer Tahj Miles as Marlon Pryce.

[37] According to a Radio Times article in 2018, "From Australia to Russia to India, stretching across 236 territories, this British crime comedy-drama has become a global phenomenon.

[41] After the first episode aired in 2011, Metro TV critic Keith Watson wrote that "the idea of parachuting a policeman into a colonial setting because the locals weren't up to the job left a slightly sour taste," and the series resembled a "throwback to the fading glory days of the British Empire".

[42] In a January 2021 Guardian essay, writer Sirin Kale pointed out the "large and appreciative audience," but was critical of several aspects, including the racial dynamics: "If Death in Paradise was a dated show when it aired – a throwback to Peter Falk in a trench coat asking just one more thing – it is a museum piece now.

For starters, the cast of mostly Black supporting actors call the show’s white, male lead 'Sir', and rely on him to solve crimes that are apparently beyond their wits to work out.

Sara Martins, Danny John-Jules, Don Warrington and Tobi Bakare collected the award at a ceremony supported by the BBC and ITV that took place on 15 February 2015.

The show is currently featured on Ovation's "Morning Mysteries" block on Fridays, and also used to air on the network every Thursday night at 7PM with back-to-back episodes.

The theme music is an instrumental version of a Jamaican song from the 1960s, "You're Wondering Now", written by Coxsone Dodd, originally recorded by Andy & Joey in Jamaica.

It was later made famous by The Skatalites and in Europe by ska band The Specials and later still by Amy Winehouse, as featured on some editions of the deluxe version of her album Back to Black.

The score of the show itself is composed by Magnus Fiennes and features musicians such as the Los Angeles based Reggae band The Lions (Blake Colie on drums, Dave Wilder on bass, Dan Ubick on guitar) and keyboard/melodica player Roger Rivas.

[70] The creator of the show, Robert Thorogood, signed a three-book deal to write Death in Paradise novels featuring the original characters (D.I.

In June 2022, a spin-off was announced, titled Beyond Paradise, airing in the UK on 24 February 2023, which saw the return of Kris Marshall as Humphrey Goodman, and Sally Bretton as his fiancee Martha Lloyd as they enjoy life in Britain.