Miss Scarlet and The Duke is back for a fifth season, though the “and The Duke” part seems to be on hiatus. Stuart Martin’s charmingly exasperated Duke Wellington is absent from the latest trailer, leaving Kate Phillips’ Eliza Scarlet to contend with a new Scotland Yard inspector, played by Tom Durant-Pritchard, who looks about as thrilled to be working with a female private detective as a Victorian gentleman discovering a woman in his smoking room.
The trailer highlights the friction between Eliza and Inspector Blake. He doesn’t use private detectives, you see. She, however, is quite determined to prove her worth, despite his eye-rolling disdain. Classic battle-of-the-sexes setup, with a side of murder investigations, naturally.
Season 5 finds Eliza’s agency flourishing professionally, while her personal life faces complications due to the Duke’s extended stay in New York. This transatlantic separation forces Eliza to confront some tough choices, all while trying to build a working relationship with the new inspector, who seems less inclined to offer assistance than a particularly stubborn mule.
Returning cast members include Felix Scott, Evan McCabe and Cathy Belton. Whether the show can retain its charm without the Duke remains to be seen. The new season premieres January 12, 2024, on PBS, but those with PBS Passport or the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel can get an early peek starting December 8.
Miss Scarlet (and The Duke) is a A+E Studios and Element 8 Entertainment production for Masterpiece. Executive Producers are Rebecca Eaton and Susanne Simpson at Masterpiece; and Patricia Benotti at Element 8 Entertainment.
