Death In Paradise is back to warm up the winter months with a slice of Caribbean sun, but why was the first series such a hit with both audiences and critics?
The recipe for success when it comes to Death In Paradise isn’t just the show itself, but the landscape of police dramas in general.
Death In Paradise is a slice of fun entertainment. That the show centres around murder is merely a convenient excuse for character interaction. Sure, the killings can get a little grizzly, but it’s never given the same shock treatment of many other shows.
That the show never takes itself seriously is the real key to its success though. That the main character is still carting around his briefcase in a full suit is a clear indicator of the show being lighter in tone than the usual cop show.
Far too often police procedurals get bogged down in the seriousness of the situation and try and make themselves gritty, realistic or moody. This very rarely comes off and usually just makes the show in question look like a high schooler trying to quote philosophy. Or Joey Barton, take your pick.
While we love the Nordic noir that perfects the darker tone that so many American shows try and fail to do, every now and again it’s nice to take a break and wander out into the sun for a while.
Casting a fleet of comedic actors in the lead roles was crucial to this. Ben Miller is perfect as the stuffy Richard Poole, able to stamp his own comedic personality onto a character that could so easily fall into poor parody.
While the ‘eccentric genius’ is quickly becoming the most popular cop cliché after the guilt-riddled renegade, Miller and the show’s writers are able to make the character just about unique enough that it never starts to grate.
The setting itself is also a major factor in the show’s success. Making it take place on a topical island sets Death In Paradise apart from the reams of city based dramas that we see on our screens. Think about it, what was the last crime drama you saw that didn’t take place in a major city not from the mind of Agatha Christie?
It’s the different approach to the same ends that makes Death In Paradise such an appealing cocktail. While we don’t want every detective pouring sand out of their shoes, we’ll happily watch Ben Miller bumble about for another series or two of Caribbean crime solving.
Death In Paradise is on tonight at 9pm on BBC One
FemaleFirst Cameron Smith
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