The Short Answer
- Death in Paradise — A British detective solves murders on a sun-soaked Caribbean island, fish out of water and all. (BritBox)
- Return to Paradise — The same premise relocated to Australia, with a London detective who can't go home. (BritBox)
- The Mallorca Files — A British and a German officer team up on a sun-drenched Spanish island. (BritBox)
- Van der Valk — A maverick Amsterdam detective works cases against the canals and architecture of the Dutch capital. (PBS Masterpiece)
- Vienna Blood — A young English doctor trained under Freud helps solve murders in turn-of-the-century Vienna. (PBS Masterpiece)
Streaming availability checked October 2026 and may change — check BritBox, Acorn TV, PBS Passport, or Prime Video for current availability.
Death in Paradise
Death in Paradise
A British detective is transferred to the fictional Caribbean island of Saint Marie and never quite settles in, solving a locked-room murder every week against an impossibly sunny backdrop. It's the show that set the template Signora Volpe plays with — the Brit who can't go home, solving crime somewhere beautiful instead.
Return to Paradise
Return to Paradise
A spin-off that moves the Death in Paradise formula to a sun-soaked Australian coastal town, where a London detective ends up solving local murders while unable to return home himself. Same fish-out-of-water comfort as Signora Volpe, with a brighter, breezier tone.
The Mallorca Files
The Mallorca Files
A British police officer and a German detective are paired up to solve crimes across the sun-drenched island of Mallorca, with the scenery doing almost as much work as the mystery. Like Signora Volpe, it's a light, warm-weather procedural that treats its Mediterranean setting as the main draw.
Van der Valk
Van der Valk
A maverick Amsterdam police commissioner works cases against the canals, architecture and nightlife of the Dutch capital, in this revival of the classic 1970s series. It swaps Signora Volpe's Umbrian hills for Netherlands streets, but keeps the same sense of a European city as a character in its own right.
Vienna Blood
Vienna Blood
A young English doctor trained in Freud's new psychoanalysis teams up with a local police inspector to solve murders in turn-of-the-century Vienna. The Englishman-abroad premise and the lavish period setting make it a close cousin of Signora Volpe's Umbrian mysteries.
