Death in Paradise

After finishing the first 3 series of Death in Paradise, I think it's safe to say the show will maintain its quality without the brilliant Ben Miller as lead detective Richard Poole. I was drawn to the show because of its setting (in a fictional Caribbean island, but filmed in Guadeloupe), but was sad to see that the leading sleuth is English, not a local Caribbean. I suppose British audiences would not be too interested if the detective was local. Regardless, the show does well with the 'fish out of water' theme of an English detective sent to lead a small local police department.

Sure, it's paternalistic, and the show uses several stereotypes of the Caribbean (reggae, 'voodoo,' etc.), but usually to parody them, so I don't hate the show. It's endearing characters, lovable misfit leads, and simple but nicely explained murder mysteries clearly have a broad appeal. Now, if the show had a strong black detective in charge, such as Camille (Sara Martins) or Fidel (Gary Carr), I would probably love it (we don't see enough black detectives, unfortunately), but the show is nonetheless humorous, 'fun,' and beautiful. Surprisingly, the show has gotten some recognizable guest stars, too, including Camille's father (played by Lester from The Wire, Clarke Peters), and Ben Miller and Kris Marshall are more than competent actors to make up for some underperforming ones. Alas, it is unfortunate that Sara Martins's character is sexualized in ways that undermine any realistic detective (Camille never wears a uniform or formal attire, and can often be spotted in tight shorts), and I found Kris Marshall's character, who replaces Miller in season 3, to fall in love a little too fast with Camille.

Despite these aforementioned flaws, the series is enjoyable, light-hearted fun that is perfect for finding a television show that does not require one's full attention or emotional investment. Perhaps in the future a gritty, serious crime drama set in the Caribbean will appear, and Caribbean themes, cultures, and language will play a greater role in the series (instead of caricatured notions of music, religion, and tourism). For the present, Death in Paradise will suffice.