Netflix’s sly resurrection of a 2018 BBC gem has hurled Stratford-upon-Avon’s misty lanes into a binge-worthy blaze, with Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators exploding onto Alibi and BritBox on September 24, 2025, snagging #3 on UK charts with 4.8 million viewers in its first week. Jo Joyner and Mark Benton reunite as Luella Shakespeare—ex-hairdresser with a razor wit—and Frank Hathaway, a grizzled ex-cop turned PI, unraveling secrets in the Bard’s birthplace.

Absent since 2022’s frosty finale (Frank’s fling left Lu fuming), Season 5’s 10 episodes, penned by Vera’s Paul Matthew Thompson, deliver a “murderous merriment” cocktail that’s got fans frothing. “We’re back bickering over bodies,” Joyner grins to Radio Times, but insiders tease a “darker underbelly” that could outshine Midsomer Murders’ quaint killings, with Patrick Walshe McBride’s Sebastian stealing scenes as a disguise-draped sidekick. Critics crown it “cozy crime’s coup” (89% Rotten Tomatoes), a binge that “twists tighter than a sonnet.”

The setup? Stratford’s shadows pulse with peril: Episode one’s playwright poisoning unravels plagiarism plots and lethal lovers’ quarrels, Lu’s “fluffy shoes” stomping through Frank’s romantic regrets. Joyner’s Lu, a whirlwind of warmth, navigates a cryptic “new beau” tease, while Benton’s Frank, frayed but fierce, wrestles past flings with gritty gumption. Sebastian’s antics—Elizabethan eavesdrops to swan-suited stakeouts—spark laughs amid body counts. Guest stars glitter: Doctor Who’s Jemma Redgrave as a scheming scholar, Vera’s Kenny Doughty as a dodgy don, Call the Midwife’s Helen George as a ghostly guide. Filmed January to June 2025 along Avon’s swan-swum banks, the show’s sun-dappled dread—think Death in Paradise with a Warwickshire wince—delivers “binge-worthy brew,” per The Guardian. Thompson’s scripts weave puns (The Winter’s Tale thefts, As You Like It swaps) with pain, balancing cozy chuckles with chilling corpses.

Why the frenzy? A BBC-Alibi alchemy: Seasons 1-4’s 7.7/10 IMDb idol status begged a bow, but Thompson’s Ridley detour delayed the encore. BritBox’s back-catalog bundle fueled a 300% viewership spike, outpacing Father Brown’s flock. Socials sizzle—1.5 million posts scream “Lu and Frank slay Midsomer’s snooze!” and “Twists that tangle like iambic pentameter!” Skeptics sniff “repetitive riddles,” but Joyner’s “fiercer fluff” and Benton’s “funnier folly” ignite devotion. McBride’s Sebastian? “Star, not understudy,” he jests. With cozy crime’s $2 billion binge boom, this season’s “sooner-than-expected” drop rides a wave, its 2018 debut’s 4.5 million now dwarfed by 2025’s global grab.

This isn’t nostalgia; it’s a narrative knife, slicing Stratford’s veneer to expose raw riddles. Shakespeare & Hathaway’s unlikely duo—Lu’s pluck, Frank’s grit—delivers a detective dance that’s addictive as ale, twistier than tragedy. Will it cement “legendary” status? With 89% acclaim and Avon’s allure, it’s a Bardic banger. September 24 isn’t a premiere—it’s a plot-twist coronation. Binge it; the ghosts are giggling, the mysteries menacing.