New 6-Part Agatha Christie Mystery Thriller ‘Tommy & Tuppence’ Sets Release Date

It feels like the mystery genre is earning a major resurgence right now, as recent years have delivered compelling and twisted narratives on an almost-weekly basis. Rian Johnson’s Knives Out films have modernized the murder-mystery genre, while the more humorous Only Murders in the Building TV series regularly impresses audiences and critics. Virtually every modern-day mystery owes at least a portion of its success to author Agatha Christie, whose name is synonymous with the genre.

An upcoming six-part TV series aims to deliver the best of both worlds: adapt a classic Christie duo but reimagined for a contemporary setting. Tommy & Tuppence brings the titular characters to life, as the pair have appeared in five Christie novels. Josh Dylan and Antonia Thomas star as Tommy and Tuppence, respectively, with BritBox having described the upcoming series, “In the first contemporary English-language Agatha Christie series adaptation, the detective duo of the impulsive Tuppence Cowley and loveable try-hard Tommy Beresford rise again. Mixing what made the screwball comedy and playful romance that made this crime-solving couple beloved, with a cast representative of the energy of modern London, this series will please old fans – and new – alike.”

Tommy & Tuppence will be highlighted at this weekend’s ATX TV Festival and will premiere on BritBox on Sept. 15. Writer Phoebe Eclair-Powell teased of the new show, per TV Insider, “Christie’s detective duo are witty, sharp, and raring to solve lots and lots of murders whilst asking if they should really be more than just partners in crime… To bring Tommy & Tuppence into the 21st century is truly an honor.”

BritBox

The duo appeared in Christie’s The Secret Adversary, Partners in Crime, N or M?, By the Pricking of My Thumbs, and Postern of Fate. This isn’t the first time that the characters have been brought to life, though it’s the first time they have been reimagined for a present-day narrative. Also starring in the series are Saffron Burrows, Sebastian De Souza, Sean Pertwee, Alice Krige, Denise Black, and Alex Jennings.

While there are countless stories that are inspired by Christie, her novels were directly adapted into a trilogy of major motion pictures over the past decade. Kenneth Branagh both directed and starred as Hercule Poirot in 2017’s Murder on the Orient Express, 2022’s Death on the Nile, and 2023’s A Haunting in Venice. The first installment in the series was a relative success, taking in $352.8 million worldwide, though the coronavirus pandemic and shuttering of theaters saw the latter two films suffer setbacks and fail to win over audiences or critics.

In 2024, 20th Century Studios executive Steve Asbell claimed more Christie movies were in the works, though nothing substantial has been confirmed since.