Plot Synopsis

Set in London at the start of the Sherlock Holmes era (circa 1880), Eliza Scarlet is thrown onto her own and, to get out of debt, she becomes Victorian England's first-ever female sleuth. Luckily, a childhood friend, Detective Inspector William "The Duke" Wellington, is a cop willing to help her. Eliza's father, Henry, is a widowed retired police officer, currently a private detective running up bills and drinking through his occasional earnings. Nonetheless, he is a talented investigator, and he has taught his only child, Eliza, the trade since she was a girl. She is now determined to break into this male-only profession. Fortunately, Eliza's childhood friend happens to be a detective inspector at Scotland Yard: the Duke. He gets his nickname from the most famous Englishman of the 19th century: the Duke of Wellington, victor over Napoleon at the Battle of Waterloo. Like that other Wellington, the Duke is cool and decisive in a scrape. And he is also a ladies' man, which leads to interesting complications with Eliza. Sometimes working together -- but often at odds -- Eliza and the Duke tackle a series of cases. On launching her business, Eliza's initial challenge is not criminals or clients so much as getting society to take a female detective seriously, even one who has mastered wounds, poisons, motives, and red herrings. But she forges ahead and sees her first commission -- a simple search for an older gentleman's lost niece -- turn into something very sinister, which she resolves with the Duke's help. And with that her career, if not her income, is off and running. Eliza's exploits range from an open-and-shut murder case that only she realizes is not so clear-cut, to a dastardly plot that will make history if it succeeds, to a client being harassed from beyond the grave. In her final investigation of the season, spanning the season's final two episodes, Eliza is pursuing the mystery of her father's demise when she unwittingly lures the Duke into a deathtrap. Naturally, the ordeal is a bonding experience for the two quarrelsome but secretly affectionate crime solvers. MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE had its U.S. premiere on Sunday, January 17, 2021 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings).

The sophomore season of MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE made its U.S. debut on Sunday, October 16, 2022 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings). In the season opener, "Pandora's Box," the sister of a missing woman hires Eliza to find her -- the only problem is that the case was already investigated and closed by the police, leading to new tensions between Eliza and the Duke.

Season 3 of MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE made its U.S. debut on Sunday, January 8, 2023 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings). With new mysteries and rivalries, Eliza and the Duke continue to juggle their fiery relationship. In the season opener, "The Vanishing," a famous magician does the ultimate disappearing act and vanishes into thin air. All of London is talking about the mystery and Eliza is hired by a newspaper to investigate, despite the fact thaSt the Duke is already on the case.

The fourth season of MISS SCARLET AND THE DUKE made its debut on Sunday, January 7, 2024 at 8pm on PBS (check local listings). Eliza has taken over the business of Nash & Sons (not that he has any sons), and things are not going entirely smoothly, although help comes from some familiar sources. Outside of work, her relationship with William (The Duke) builds towards a looming decision that will shape both their lives. Season 4 opens with Eliza teaming up with Duke to investigate a burglary in a high-end brothel whose clients include important members of the British government.
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Season 5 of the series, now known simply as MISS SCARLET, made its U.S. debut on Sunday, January 12, 2025 at 8pm (check local listings). In the new season, Kate Phillips returns as the fearless Miss Eliza Scarlet, though her best friend William "The Duke" Wellington has sailed to New York. His departure shifts the series, opening fresh new paths for Eliza. Cue a commanding entrance from DI Alexander Blake, whom, as it turns out, doesn't much like private investigators.
In the season opener, "The Rival," when a new Detective Inspector starts at Scotland Yard, Eliza must fight to prove herself all over again.