Return to Paradise differs from Death in Paradise in another big way

The Humphrey Goodman-led Beyond Paradise sits comfortably within the 'Paraverse', but has firmly established itself as its own entity, and the creators of this latest iteration also had the same lofty hopes.

So, in Return to Paradise, we find ourselves in a new setting – the fictional Australian beachside town of Dolphin Cove – and the lead detective is now a woman – DI Mackenzie Clarke, played by Anna Samson.

But gender-swapping and a brand new setting, while tangible, doesn't shift the tone all that much, in all honesty. Those details, while a nice change, don't drastically change things, or really impact how the story unfolds.

Yet there's a third ingredient that does give Return to Paradise a different flavour – and one that really works in its favour.

Unlike all of the original's five lead detectives – Don Gilet is set to make his first appearance in this year's Christmas special following Ralf Little's exit – Mackenzie is no stranger to Dolphin Cove.

The fish-out-of-water device, which is a staple of Death in Paradise and was also used in Beyond Paradise, where Humphrey relocates to Martha's hometown of Shipton Abbott, has been ditched here in favour of something that impacts the plot in an entirely different way, and one that's far more substantial than the new location or the fact that the show is being led by a woman.

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Mackenzie has been living in London for the past six years, where she was working for the Metropolitan Police, but she knows every inch of Dolphin Cove because she was born and raised there.

While the likes of Richard Poole (Ben Mille) and Neville Parker (Little) had to endure an awkward and bumpy acclimation period, Mackenzie knows her surroundings all too well.

And her big homecoming is both unexpected and reluctant, lacing the drama with a distinct tension and mystery that you don't get in Death in Paradise.

The first time we meet the detective, a taxi driver chucks her out of his car. A short time later, a woman at the youth club tells her to stick her box of donations with enough venom to fell a marsupial. No one, it seems, is happy to see her back in town, which is an interesting jumping-off point.

It's also arguably trickier to navigate than the set-up in Death in Paradise because the writers have to ensure that Mackenzie's relationship to Dolphin Cove and its residents has significant and authentic weight to it.

Unlike the detectives in the first series, who always start from scratch, here we have a woman who has lived most of her life to date in Dolphin Cove. She has history with this place and its people, at the centre of which is forensic pathologist Glenn Strong (Tai Hara), who she ditched at the altar before leaving for London, which drew the ire of the entire community.

But now she's back, she's forced to face him and everyone who is still stewing over her actions, which makes for delicious drama and tees up plenty more in the coming episodes as we enjoy a front-row seat to their will-they-won't-they.

We also learn that Mackenzie didn't plan to return home, but felt forced to after she was accused of evidence-tampering back in the UK, a claim she refutes.

The detective then ran away, with her warrant card in her pocket, to delay the inevitable: a lengthy suspension while the powers that be determine the truth.

While we already know that she's not a corrupt cop (this isn't Line of Duty, folks), despite the current lack of detail, the circumstances surrounding her Irish goodbye and how that strand of the story will pan out also pique our interest.

If she didn't interfere with evidence, who stitched her up? And why?

And in time, will she find a way to repair her broken relationship with Dolphin Cove?

There is much about Return to Paradise that feels familiar, which was of the utmost important for its creators. But it also poses new questions and dilemmas that help it stand apart from what has come before.

While spin-offs can often feel entirely superfluous, Return to Paradise wholly justifies its existence.

Return to Paradise continues on Friday 29th November at 8pm on BBC One and iPlayer.

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