28 PERFECT CRIME DRAMAS

Our round-up of the must-see mysteries and true-life-inspired stories set to hit our screens in 2024

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1 SHETLAND

BBC1 RETURNING

Ashley Jensen is back on the beat in windswept Shetland, having proved a worthy successor to previous show lead Douglas Henshall, who bowed out of the hit thriller in 2022.

The new six-part story sees Ashley's tenacious DI Ruth Calder - now a resident of the Isles again-thrown in at the deep end after a friend of her partner-in-crime-solving Alison 'Tosh' McIntosh (Alison O'Donnell) goes missing, sparking a labyrinthine investigation for the pair.

Traces star Vincent Regan and Mr Bates Vs The Post Office's lan Hart (above, with Alison and Ashley) lead the guest list for this ninth series.

2 RETURN TO PARADISE

BBC1 NEW

3 DEATH IN PARADISE

BBC1 RETURNING

4 BEYOND PARADISE

BBC1 RETURNING

Fans of the 'Paraverse' are in for a treat with not one, not two, but three trips to sun-soaked lands on the horizon. Kris Marshall and Sally Bretton return as DI Humphrey Goodman and his loyal partner Martha Lloyd in a Beyond Paradise Christmas special, with the Shipton Abbott police team tackling a Yuletide mystery ahead of a third series in 2025.

There's also a feature-length Death in Paradise festive edition, introducing Saint Marie's new lead cop, Detective Inspector Mervin Wilson, played by former EastEnders star Don Gilet - with a 14th series of the Caribbean-set crime drama due next year.