TV BLACKBOX
AUSTRALIA’S favourite coastal crime drama is heading back to television, with Return to Paradise returning for a third season filled with murder, mystery and a little romantic mayhem.
Detective Sergeant Mackenzie Clarke, played by Anna Samson, will return to the fictional seaside town of Dolphin Cove when the popular ABC series premieres on Saturday, November 14.
And while the picturesque coastal community might look like paradise, its extraordinary murder rate suggests otherwise.
The Australian spin-off of the international hit Death in Paradise will feature six new hour-long episodes, with Mackenzie once again finding herself at the centre of some particularly puzzling investigations.
This season’s mysteries include an artist stabbed in front of an audience, a wildlife worker killed inside a locked cage and a famous film director shot during her own screening.
But solving murders might prove easier than sorting out Mackenzie’s increasingly complicated personal life.
Following the departure of pathologist Glenn Strong, played by Tai Hara, Mackenzie throws herself into police work alongside her dependable colleague, Senior Constable Colin Cartwright, played by Lloyd Griffith.
However, trouble is never far away.
The arrival of her outspoken mother Jillian, played by Kerry Armstrong, threatens to turn Mackenzie’s world upside down, while handsome new pathologist Leo, played by Jacob Collins, takes a keen interest in the unconventional detective.
With unresolved feelings, family complications and another collection of baffling crimes, Mackenzie will have plenty to keep her occupied.
Filmed against Australia’s spectacular coastal scenery, the series combines classic whodunit mysteries with humour, romance and the complicated relationships of small-town life.
Produced by BBC Studios Australia Productions and Red Planet Pictures, the series continues to build on the international success of the Death in Paradise franchise while delivering its own distinctly Australian flavour.
And with another six murder mysteries waiting to be solved, Dolphin Cove might be the perfect holiday destination — provided visitors can stay alive long enough to enjoy the view.
