If you’re on the lookout for a new cosy murder mystery to settle down on the sofa with, we’ve got you covered. If you combine the homey familiarity of Grantchester with the exotic backdrop of Death In Paradise, you’d arrive somewhere near High Seas. The murder mystery invites us aboard a ship setting sail from Spain to Brazil in the 1940s – and it’s as glamorous as it is intriguing.
We’re introduced to two sisters, Eva and Carolina, who start their journey after the death of their father. However, quickly, strange occurrences unfold, including a web of murders, a shipwreck and even a deadly virus!
Intrigued? With the detective drama available to stream now on Netflix, here’s everything you need to know about High Seas, including the plot, cast and how to watch it.
What is High Seas about?
Set on the Bárbara de Braganza (think the Orient Express on sea), High Seas brings us aboard a swanky transatlantic ship setting sail from Europe to South America in the 1940s. It introduces sisters Eva (Ivana Baquero) and Carolina Villanueva (Alejandra Onieva) heading from Spain to Brazil following the death of their father, but they soon realise something darker lingers around this decadent boat after a chain of mysterious murders unfolds.
The drama kicks off with an elusive woman called Luisa asking the sisters for help; they smuggle her on to the boat, but she is later thrown off and they must uncover who the culprit is. However, the mystery is much more complex than they ever envisioned: they discover a hidden microfilm on board that hides dark secrets linking to their family’s involvement in Second World War atrocities.
The first series ends with a distress signal from a shipwreck; in series two, they go and intervene, opening the cabins to yet more drama with a survivor called Casandra (Claudia Traisac), who claims to have psychic abilities, and strange events start to unfold across the boat. Series three kicks off with a warning from Fabio (Marco Pigossi), a British Secret Service agent who is trying to arrest a man aboard, who is yielding a deadly virus he wants to unleash to the world.
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Who’s in the cast of High Seas?
The cast for High Seas includes:
- Ivana Baquero as Eva Villanueva
- Alejandra Onieva as Carolina Villanueva
- Jon Kortajarena as Nicolás Vázquez
- Eloy Azorín as Fernando Fábregas
Is there a trailer for High Seas?
Yes – you can watch the full trailer for High Seas here.
Is High Seas any good?
Yes – if you love a cosy murder mystery steeped in history, such as Grantchester, you’re going to love this glossy period drama. As well as the stunning backdrop and costumes, the plotlines were engaging, with plenty of twists, plus each episode ending on a cliffhanger. One viewer praised it as ‘charming and mysterious’ and we couldn’t agree more!
How can I watch High Seas?
You can watch High Seas now on Netflix.
What other period dramas can I watch now?
If you fancy stepping back in time again, Anna Maxwell Martin is brilliant in The Bletchley Circle, which takes us back to 1952 post-war Britain. The series follows four former Second World War codebreakers who solve murders. You can watch The Bletchley Circle now on Channel 4. If you’re in the mood for a classic ‘whodunnit’, Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is based on Agatha Christie’s novel of the same name. Naval officer Bobby Jones (Will Poulter) and his friend Lady Frances ‘Frankie’ Derwent (Lucy Boynton) find a man dying at the foot of a cliff. With his final breath, he utters the titular question – and so a quest to find the truth begins. Why Didn’t They Ask Evans? is available to watch now on ITVX.
