Fan Favorite Marlon Pryce Left 'Death in Paradise,' Shocking and Perplexing Viewers

Running since 2011, Death in Paradise is one of the United Kingdom’s most popular television series. It follows various detectives as they solve different cases in the Caribbean. While the premise hasn’t been celebrated as anything extraordinary, its scenic beaches and unique setting make it a fan favorite. When Death in Paradise introduced Marlon Pryce, fans fell in love with the show even more.

Marlon first debuted on the show in its 10th season, portrayed by young actor Tahj Miles. Marlon’s storyline was one of inspiration since he began as a petty thief and transformed into one of the police force’s best officers. But on the March 3 episode of Season 13, Marlon decides to leave and we all want to know why.

For many fans, Marlon’s exit from the police force was extremely sudden. He had been growing throughout his past three seasons and was so entrenched in detective work that he couldn’t imagine living without being a police officer when he left. And we want to continue seeing his character development play out!

Just a few years ago, Marlon was a juvenile delinquent who was booked for stealing Sergeant JP Hooper’s police badge. Thanks to JP, Marlon didn’t go to jail and was instead recruited for the Youth Offenders Police scheme. While he wasn’t very good at first and didn’t care much for the role, he grew into it and eventually joined the official force. We would have loved to see him develop into a commissioner, or even take over for DI Neville Parker when his time is up!

Instead, however, Marlon’s younger sister, Jocelyn, gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity with a scholarship in Kingston, Jamaica. While we don’t know too much about his home life, it’s been implied throughout the series that Marlon’s parents aren’t around and that he raised his sister himself. So when she gets the opportunity to go to Kingston, he has to go with her as her guardian and closest family member.

But don’t worry! He’ll still be a police officer. Before he leaves, Marlon tells Naomi Thomson, "I want to do good by Jocelyn, but I don't want to not be a police officer." Naomi passes on the message, and Commissioner Selwyn Patterson goes overseas to meet up with JP (who moved away) and help hook Marlon up with a job in Jamaica.

Upon Marlon’s exit, Tahj posted on social media, “Senior Year. 4 years, 28 Eps & 3 specials. It’s been real.” Fans were unsurprisingly upset but supportive of Tahj’s decision. “Is it too early to start a campaign to bring back Marlon? The best officer on DIP,” one Instagram comment said. Another added, “Huge shame to see you go, maybe you’ll pull a JP and we will see you in a couple of years.”

However, just before this post, he shared a carousel with the caption, “Part Timer,” with a chef emoji. The post appears to show a Table Read, which is the first step in a new film or theater project, so it’s likely that Tahj just took on a new project. He also shows off an “Action” clapboard with his name listed as a director, so it’s also possible that he’s working on making his own art now that he has the resources to do so.

If that’s the case, then for Tahj’s fans, his Death in Paradise exit may actually be good news! We’ll just have to wait and see.