Lucy Lawless returns as retired detective turned private investigator (with a breadmaking side hustle) Alexa Crowe in the third season of the hit Australian series My Life Is Murder.

Having relocated to Auckland last season, Crowe has now fully settled into her old hometown; she’s still getting cases from Detective Harry Henare (usually in a restaurant) and effortlessly making artisan bread. After making a few appearances in season 2, Alexa’s brother, Will, is now out of prison and desperate to make amends with his sister and prove he can make an honest buck. Unluckily for Will (Martin Henderson), trouble seems to follow him around, and it’s only a short time before he gets into situations that might send him back to prison. Impossible crimes, unsolvable murders, Christmas lights, tango dancing, and plenty of breadmaking with sass, all against the beautiful backdrop of Auckland, make this a perfect slice of escapism. Across ten vibrantly shot episodes, Alexa’s skills are put to the test, new friendships are made, and old ones are tested.

There’s no shortage of murder mystery TV shows in the streaming age, and their popularity seems unyielding. Death in Paradise shows no signs of slowing down after 13 seasons, a spin-off, and a forthcoming Australia-set spin-off, Return To Paradise, which will be filming next year. However, Acorn TV is rapidly cornering the market as the home for likeable, light-hearted murder mystery shows. Lucy Lawless has built an impressive career playing larger-than-life characters in Battlestar Galactica, Spartacus, Ash vs Evil Dead, and her iconic role in Xena Warrior Princess. So it’s a refreshing change of pace to see her take on a more grounded character with Alexa Crowe; after three seasons, we’ve been on quite the journey with her already. Bring on season 4 next year!

The charmingly easy-breezy murder mystery series returns with its most confident and entertaining run to date; its mysteries may not be Agatha Christie levels of intricacy, but when there’s this much fun on offer, they don’t need to be.

My Life is Murder Season 3 and a season 1-3 box set are out on DVD and digital now.