Death in Paradise comparisons are just lazy – Get Millie Black breaks the crime drama mould

The term "never-before-seen" gets bandied about all too often in television, and in regards to dramas centred around policing it can often feel like hyperbole. There are only so many bulletproof vests, police stations and corrupt coppers to breathe new life into the TV genre, after all.

But in all honesty, I think viewers will be hard pressed to find a series that comes close to what Get Millie Black manages to achieve in just five episodes.

The crime noir follows a career-best Tamara Lawrance as Millie-Jean Black, a formidable detective who has returned to Jamaica to work on missing persons cases.

Soon, the reason for her being sent away to the UK as a teenager becomes clear but also underlines simmering tensions with her sister Hibiscus, played by newcomer Chyna McQueen in her debut role.

Lawrance is known for delivering thought-provoking performances in the likes of The Long Song, Time, and more recently in Mr Loverman. But in Get Millie Black, she really brings the complex detective to life.

Millie isn't made to be loved or even liked by the audience, she's an unashamedly complicated female character who doesn't bow to the parameters of British politeness or allow anyone or anything to overtake her one true love: her work.

Meanwhile, it's hard to believe that McQueen hasn't already featured in plenty of projects, a complete natural in front of the camera and bringing a touch of humour to things in spite of her own character arc relating to her fraught familial relationships.

Hibiscus's story highlights the resilience needed to exist authentically as a queer person in Jamaica, and encompasses the saddening lows but heartfelt highs that can come from being part of the country's trans community.

It goes without saying that Kingston is a main character in the series, with the Jamaican capital city wrapping its arms around the characters and supercharging everything to a level of vibrancy, grit and relevancy that you can't tear your eyes away from.

It's fairly easy to conclude that Get Millie Black is very much unlike other crime dramas. Not only does it showcase sides of Jamaica that many have never seen before, it seamlessly breaks the mould of the TV genre time and time again by the very nature of its rich storytelling.

So, you can see why I'm finding it a little grating that the lazy comparisons between Get Millie Black and Death in Paradise have already started to rumble – where the BBC series is a cosy crime drama well into its impressive 14th season with a 'case of the week' procedural element, Get Millie Black is an entirely different format.

The five episodes encompass one (albeit very twisted) case that Millie goes to extreme lengths to get to the bottom of. Forgive me for thinking that Gully Queens, guns, classism, transphobia and human trafficking all feature in Death in Paradise – I must've missed that feature-length special!

This isn't a criticism of Death in Paradise by any means. The BBC series has a fan-favourite place in the Friday evening schedule and for good reason – its format, beloved cast of central characters, slew of familiar guest stars and general light-hearted way of crime-solving has rightfully stood the test of time.

Guadeloupe, a French archipelago in the Caribbean, doubles as fictional Saint Marie with the beachy island setting as much of a main character as new detective Mervin or the gang. Sure, it's set and filmed in the Caribbean but that's really where the comparisons between the two shows should start and end.

Can two crime dramas filmed in the Caribbean not co-exist without being equated to one another? Booker Prize-winning author and Get Millie Black series creator Marlon James has already stated that there aren't really similarities to be drawn between the two shows.

He said: "When people think of a Caribbean crime, they might think of Death in Paradise. But it’s more than that. It’s complicated, it’s dark, it’s sexy, it’s mysterious. You get the entire cross section of Jamaican society, but it is set in Kingston. It is a city noir. It is what LA is to Chinatown.

"I want people to have a more complicated view of what Jamaica is. It is certainly more than sun and sand and sea. There is a dark undercurrent, but at the same time, the forces of good are also Jamaican.

"There is stuff going on, but there are really talented and dedicated people who go about protecting people and saving lives and solving mysteries."

There are plenty of misconceptions and stereotypes about Jamaica, but Get Millie Black digs into various themes and aptly shows how these cycles of repression, racism and trauma are all part of its legacy of colonialism and enslavement.

Whether you're Jamaican or not, the series effortlessly manages to inform its viewers – either through Hibiscus's story, the representation of class and race within Kingston or its depiction of modern slavery.

Jamaica's national motto is "Out of Many, One People", a nod to the country's multiracial roots. But it's precisely that motto that encompasses the array of stories and characters within Get Millie Black.

James has managed to craft scripts so deep and thoughtful, and yet so action-packed, that you can't help but feel on the edge of your seat – a marker of any good cop drama really, and a testament to the way that the show's overlapping storylines all feed into driving that central case.

Aside from being lazy, the comparisons between Death in Paradise and Get Millie Black demonstrate the lack of deeper understanding when it comes to Caribbean storytelling.

Could this simply be a sign that we should be getting more stories and voices from the subregion anyway? I'd always default to thinking so. But when a show like Get Millie Black demonstrates the depths to which crime dramas can go, it's a wonder that it hasn't already been snapped up for a second season.

With the police drama genre continuing to reign supreme for fans and commissioning editors alike, the various important (and exciting) plot points that Get Millie Black touches on show that it's not only bold to break the mould – it's also entirely worthwhile.

Get Millie Black will begin airing on Channel 4 at 9pm on Wednesday 5th March.

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