Murder most horrid

May 28, 2023 2:35 AM

I'm an Agatha Christie adaptation addict, who's run out of Agatha Christie adaptations to watch. Please help.

I love watching adaptations of novels by the Queen of Crime, Agatha Christie.

I've watched everything (I think): Suchet's Poirot (the original and best), the Ustinov movies, the Branagh movies (meh), the Sarah Phelps adaptations, the Hugh Laurie-directed Why Didn't They Ask Evans?, the Marple series with Geraldine McEwan and Julia McKenzie, the original Miss Marple with Joan Hickson.

I am looking for cozy murder mysteries in that vein. They don't have to be 'period' although this is a plus. They don't have to be Christie adaptations or set in the UK. I'm looking for that Christie vibe. You know: small village, vicars, the kindly village doctor, tea, affairs, secret children, the detective gathers around all the suspects at the end and explains who, how and why dunnit. None of it feels threatening. An additional thing I really enjoy about a lot of Christie adaptations is the style - lovely art deco architecture, fabulous outfits etc.

I've already seen all of Morse, Lewis, Midsomer Murders. I feel like they have a Christie-esque air despite the fact that I am not looking for procedurals. I've also seen See How They Run and both the Knives Out movies. I feel like The White Lotus also met the criteria in some ways while obviously not being a Christie adaptation - just in terms of the mystery and the fabulous location and outfits etc.

I would say Broadchurch and the recent Netflix Inside Man also have that vibe, but I am definitely not looking for dark, gritty, realistic, downer endings.

TIA, Mefites!

posted by unicorn chaser to Media & Arts (45 answers total)

I have your Christie itch, and I have loved Monk and Colombo. Neither of them are period pieces or set in Britain, but they are great. Colombo probably comes closest for that small town, kindly shuffling detective vibe. Closer to the UK, I also really mindlessly enjoyed Death in Paradise for a similar feel -- it's like Christie in the colonies. If you don't have the stomach for a very slight whiff of British empire nostalgia, though, I'd avoid.
posted by idlethink at 2:47 AM on May 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Maybe Foyle's War.

Vienna Blood. Wikipedia says the murders are "disturbing" but it is not more disturbing than Agatha Christie imo. It is kind of Holmesian.

I take it you've seen Endeavour, because you mention Morse and Lewis, but definitely that if you haven't already watched it.
posted by Ballad of Peckham Rye at 3:03 AM on May 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

My strongest recommendation would be for Foyle's War.

I've also liked McDonald & Dodds, Professor T, The Chelsea Detective, & Murder in Provence though none of those are period.
posted by juv3nal at 3:06 AM on May 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Oh maybe also Father Brown & its Sister Boniface spin off? Death in Paradise also has a spinoff called Beyond Paradise.
posted by juv3nal at 3:08 AM on May 28, 2023 [7 favorites]

Murder most black & white. And then there were none (1945) is on Youtube
posted by BobTheScientist at 3:11 AM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Two words: Anthony Horowitz. He writes the novels and the TV adaptations for lots of good mysteries.

Seconding Foyle's War, a Horowitz creation.

The recent 6-part mystery "Magpie Murders," is also by him, a mystery about a murdered author in the present day whose latest manuscript, featuring a ripoff Poirot (the author's obsession with Christie is explored a bit) in the postwar English countryside, is missing its last chapter. The publisher (Lesley Manville as a kind of Marple character) goes in search of that chapter, and must not only solve the book's mystery, but ends up solving the author's murder as well.

You already like Horowitz, probably, because he also adapted 11 episodes of the Suchet Poirot series.
posted by Sunburnt at 3:14 AM on May 28, 2023 [8 favorites]

Seconding death in paradise.

The Murdoch mysteries.

Broken wood.
posted by dpx.mfx at 3:18 AM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Miss fishers murder mysteries.
posted by dpx.mfx at 3:18 AM on May 28, 2023 [19 favorites]

I haven't watched this one properly to tell if it's any good, but my mother watches Grantchester and from fleeting glimpses it seems to tick all the cozy boxes.
posted by Ballad of Peckham Rye at 3:21 AM on May 28, 2023 [5 favorites]

This is a little more left field, but a very enjoyable series nontheless, Les petits meurtres d'Agatha Christie (Agatha Christie's Criminal Games). It's a campy, Agatha Christie-esque French crime drama set in the 50's. Lots of fun.
posted by qwip at 3:26 AM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Murder she wrote?
posted by gible at 3:42 AM on May 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

The Inspector Alleyn Mysteries, if you can get hold of them. The Lord Peter Wimsey Mysteries - there were two versions, with Ian Carmichael and then later with Edward Petherbridge (these were better in my view). Both lots look like they are on YouTube.

Seconding the Father Brown mysteries.
posted by paduasoy at 4:42 AM on May 28, 2023 [5 favorites]

These are contemporary and very light/camp: Agatha Raisin, and Shakespeare and Hathaway.
posted by lulu68 at 4:56 AM on May 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Perhaps An Unsuitable Job For A Woman. Cordelia Grey is a private detective, but a beginner.
posted by SemiSalt at 5:00 AM on May 28, 2023

Cadfael is period, although maybe not in the sense you mean.
posted by BibiRose at 5:26 AM on May 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

Both The Franchise Affair and Brat Farrar by Josephine Tey were made into tv mini series back in the late 80s.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:31 AM on May 28, 2023

Rosemary & Thyme is a British series that I loved (being another Christie-phile who has seen almost everything.) At the time I watched it I think it was on Netflix but not sure where it is now. It’s not period (well I suppose the early 2000s are a period) but it is sweet and cozy.
posted by profreader at 5:34 AM on May 28, 2023 [8 favorites]

Oh I just remembered another one. There was the Mrs. Bradley Mysteries starring Diana Rigg with one of the later chief inspectors from Midsomer Murders as her chauffeur. A very proto-Miss Fisher kind of main character.
posted by juv3nal at 5:38 AM on May 28, 2023 [3 favorites]

Came to recommend the delightful Rosemary & Thyme which I’m certain is on Britbox because I recently rewatched it. An even more absurd but fun recommendation is Jonathan Creek, about an illusionist who lives in a windmill and solves murder, also on Britbox. Queens of Mystery, on Acorn, is a bit campier but still a fun British murder mystery with a longer running mystery plot line involving the main character’s family.
posted by scantee at 6:45 AM on May 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Madame Blanc takes place in a French village that is apparently infested with almost entirely English people. Very cozy, friendly, and a lovely location.
posted by Enid Lareg at 7:30 AM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Going in a slightly different direction than the other answers, but have you watched foreign adaptations of Agatha Christie? There was a very famous 1987 Soviet adaptation of "And Then There Were None" that screened abroad to acclaim (for staying true to Christie's ending, if I remember correctly), and definitely exists with English subtitles, definitely on YouTube and maybe on other streaming services (note that the title is based on the original Agatha Christie title which I believe was not used in English-speaking editions and adaptations after 1985).

There were other Soviet adaptations of her novels too but I am not sure whether they exist with English subtitles. They are all listed here (along with all the other foreign adaptations).
posted by virve at 7:35 AM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Definitely seconding a lot of the above recommendations, including Death in Paradise, Beyond Paradise, Cadfael, Father Brown, The Brokenwood Mysteries (set in New Zealand in a smaller town), Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries (period in Australia), Agatha Raisin, Rosemary & Thyme, Shakespeare and Hathaway, Queens of Mystery, Madame Blanc.

You might check out Acorn TV (which has The Brokenwood Mysteries). None of these are period, but I tend to like what you like and enjoyed all of these. I highly recommend My Life is Murder (Australia and New Zealand). Also check out Recipes for Love and Murder (small town South Africa), and Darby and Joan (Australia). I also enjoyed Harry Wild, Signora Volpe (set in Italy, with beautiful views of the country in Umbria and the medieval town of Panicale, but main character and her relatives are English expats) and Mr. and Mrs. Murder (Australia, only 3 episodes.)
posted by gudrun at 8:42 AM on May 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

The Margaret Rutherford Marples?
posted by Paul Slade at 9:07 AM on May 28, 2023

+1 for Miss Fishers murder mysteries and Murdoch in terms of being great period pieces. Murdoch is a procedural kind of but also kind of not and does have that "Cool outfits and scenery" thing.

I also really enjoyed Shetland. It's set in Scotland and is more of a cop procedural (like Murdoch) so maybe not right if you don't want that, but it does have small town vibe (for the most part) gorgeous scenery, mostly murder mysteries, no interesting outfits, good core group of folks who show up in most episodes, a slowly moving overarching set of plots on top of the shorter few-episode mysteries.
posted by jessamyn at 9:12 AM on May 28, 2023 [7 favorites]

I'm gonna go out on a limb and suggest Psych. You've got small town, definitely not gritty, each episode solves a mystery, none of it feels threatening. It's contemporary, and crucially it ends up being very, very funny. Not sure if that'll ruin the vibe for you, but it's very character-driven and smart. (Though not every episode is perfect, and in fact I think the first season they were very much still figuring out what the show wanted to be.)
posted by BlahLaLa at 9:55 AM on May 28, 2023 [4 favorites]

I am you; nthing Father Brown mysteries and Miss Fisher’s Murder Mysteries.
posted by corb at 9:56 AM on May 28, 2023

I would very specifically recommend Foyle's War. It ticks all the boxes.

More generally, have you considered any of the Sherlock Holmes adaptations? I don't have specific suggestions because I am an absolute Christie snob and will only accept Joan Hickson and David Suchet, but there is a long history there to mine.
posted by DarlingBri at 11:28 AM on May 28, 2023

This was mentioned on the Nero Wolfe thread, but the Timothy Hutton and Maury Chaykin Nero Wolfe series might scratch your itch. I say this with the warning that I'm not exactly a fan of the show.

I watched it but it was never quite my vision of the books and the characters, although if you haven't read the books this shouldn't be a problem. The one thing you have to know going in is that it's an ensemble cast, meaning one episode an actress will play one character and then the next she'll be someone entirely different. I think the ensemble approach was one of the things that turned me off, as I'd never have Kari Matchett play both Lily Rowan, Carla Lovchen as both characters are too important to be swapped out.
posted by sardonyx at 11:54 AM on May 28, 2023

You didn’t mention having seen Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence series. There was one produced in the early 80s with James Warwick and Francesca Annis, Partners in Crime. I’ve only watched the first episode (on YouTube like the other two I mentioned) and it was pretty dire. It was remade recently however, with David Walliams and Jessica Raines, also called Partners in Crime and set in the 50s.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:34 PM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Bletchley Circle is postwar, but period, and great characters.
posted by dame at 2:15 PM on May 28, 2023 [5 favorites]

Dickson isn't the original Miss Marple, merely the definitive. You could try the Margaret Rutherford Marples (x4), but they take a more jolly approach than typical Christie.
More traditional is the Angela Lansbury Marple: The Mirror Crack'd

You can check the list of global adapts here.

Also, perhaps Sleuth.
posted by biffa at 5:00 PM on May 28, 2023 [5 favorites]

It’s definitely not cozy and leans more toward the procedural side, but my friend and I have been enjoying watching Inspector George Gently on Acorn TV. It’s set in northeast England in the swinging sixties and Martin Shaw is wonderful as the title character. I haven’t finished the series yet so I can’t tell you if there’s a miserable ending but it’s been an interesting show to watch for me anyway.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 6:09 PM on May 28, 2023

Ariadne Oliver, a recurring character in some of the Poirot stories, is a detective writer who repeatedly complains about the annoying quirkiness of her own detective character, Sven Hjerson, and there is now a Swedish TV series which features him as the main detective. I've only watched one episode, but it looks pretty promising - modern-day, and set in some pretty countryside. It;s available on All 4 in the UK,

Also seconding Foyle's War and Magpie Murders, and also Grantchester (or the Hot Vicar Show as it is known in my family) which is set around Cambridge rather than Oxford, which makes a nice change.
posted by Fuchsoid at 8:02 PM on May 28, 2023

Vera with the sublime Brenda Blethyn! How can Vera not be on this list already!?! Vera is like what you might get if a more snarky Miss Marple joined the police force. I believe it streams on Acorn TV and is a regular on your local PBS station.
posted by brookeb at 9:10 PM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

For a contemporary take on Columbo, check out Poker Face with Natasha Lyonne. It's less "whodunit?" and more "how will she figure out whodunit?"

Also look at the recent Inspector Gamache series Three Pines, set in small-town Quebec.
posted by alicat at 10:26 PM on May 28, 2023 [1 favorite]

Dalgliesh
posted by unliteral at 11:52 PM on May 28, 2023 [2 favorites]

Response by poster: I've started watching Magpie Murders - it's perfect, thank you! Can't wait to make my way through the rest of these recommendations. Thank you all so much.

her own detective character, Sven Hjerson, and there is now a Swedish TV series which features him as the main detective.

This makes me want to explode with glee.
posted by unicorn chaser at 1:09 AM on May 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

The Doctor Who episode The Unicorn and the Wasp, obviously. Terror of the Vervoids. Robots of Death.

More seriously, Mapp and Lucia, Anna Lee, Endeavour.
posted by feelinglistless at 3:03 AM on May 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

See How They Run - a 2022 adaptation of The Mousetrap

Not period, but would Only Murders in the Building also appeal? The characters at least feel a bit old-fashioned to me (in a good way), though definitely American rather than British.
posted by eviemath at 6:17 AM on May 29, 2023 [4 favorites]

If Holmes is on the table, I recommend the BBC Sherlock Holmes, 41 episodes that ran in bursts from 1984 to 1994, starring Jeremy Brett and David Burke as Holmes and Watson. They're my favorite adaptation, and a friend who's way deeper into Holmes than I tells me that it's among the more faithful. Each of the 4 series had their own name, so it may be easier to find them this way:

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984-85)
The Return of Sherlock Holmes (1986-88)
The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes (1991-93)
The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes (1994)

Brett's perhaps best known for playing Freddy Eynsford-Hill in My Fair Lady.
posted by Sunburnt at 10:09 AM on May 29, 2023 [3 favorites]

I haven't seen any episodes but Frankie Drake Mysteries has been on my radar for a while. It's about a female detective in 1920s Toronto.
posted by Constance Mirabella at 10:25 AM on May 29, 2023 [1 favorite]

Wife and I just watched The Last of Sheila last night. Strong recommendation!

* Rian Johnson cited it as a huge inspiration for Knives Out flicks (you can see it in a lot of shots in Glass Onion)
* Written by Anthony Perkins and Stephen Sondheim
* There's not a clear detective character, but otherwise is a classic cozy mystery
* Extreme 70s vibes
* Confrontation/parlor scene at the end is very good and tense
posted by billjings at 2:22 PM on May 30, 2023 [3 favorites]

Oh yeah, seconding The Last of Sheila, which I discovered via Rian Johnson as well. It also has an incredible cast.
posted by Sunburnt at 11:26 AM on June 1, 2023

I would not suggest Holmes to someone super into Agatha Christie (though Brett is masterful in this role and he is my favorite Sherlock)

+1 to Miss Fisher for the fashion and locations
+1 to Lord Peter Wimsey (Petherbridge is perfect as Wimsey - no others need apply) Christie and Dorothy L. Sayers were contemporaries.
posted by Julnyes at 12:48 PM on June 1, 2023 [1 favorite]

Mhz Choice has an entire Agathie Christie Collection.
posted by y2karl at 4:20 PM on June 13, 2023