Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows RT App News Showtimes

Miniseries – Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders

Play trailer 1:59 Poster for Miniseries – Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders Dec 2018 Drama Mystery & Thriller Crime Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
71% Tomatometer 35 Reviews 49% Popcornmeter 50+ Ratings
John Malkovich stars as an older but wiser Hercule Poirot as he investigates the source of a series of sinister letters written by a mysterious criminal in the early 1930s in England. Although he is no longer revered, when murders begin occurring in relation to the letters, Poirot takes the case into his own hands and deploys his detective skills in order to find the killer before they strike again. Malkovich stars alongside Rupert Grint and Andrew Buchan in this three-part crime-drama series.

Where to Watch

Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

What to Know

Critics Consensus

The ABC Murders liberally adapts the famed Agatha Christie mystery while retaining its thrilling spirit, thanks in part to the sly performance of John Malkovich, who inhabits Hercule Poirot with enough wizened panache to win over those who were skeptical of his casting.

Read Critics Reviews

Critics Reviews

View More
Suzi Feay Financial Times 02/14/2019
3/5
Sarah Phelps gives [Poirot] the tragic refugee's back-story Christie unaccountably overlooked in a drama about identity, migration and fear of the other. Go to Full Review
Sophie Gilbert The Atlantic 02/04/2019
While everyone else is hamming it up playing monstrous psychopaths on an operatic scale, Malkovich wafts glumly from scene to scene, his facial expressions rarely more animated than someone trying to do long division in his head. Go to Full Review
Mike Hale New York Times 02/04/2019
With the basic joys of superior sleuthing mostly stripped out, the remaining pleasure you expect from a Christie adaptation is the opportunity afforded to a talented cast by its congregation of suspects and victims. Go to Full Review
Robin Holabird KUNR (Reno, NV) 07/22/2021
While purists may disagree with the altered take on their beloved detective, they'll find both production and plotting work well. Go to Full Review
Jonathan Roberts The New Paper (Singapore) 12/04/2020
2.5/5
The ABC Murders can lose momentum and leave one wondering if a brisker two-hour mystery would be more enjoyable for one's little grey cells. Go to Full Review
Clement Tyler Obropta Film Inquiry 04/29/2020
For those who stick with it, the miniseries' second half has a few clever, satisfying twists up its sleeve. Go to Full Review
Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View More
Denise T @Dee1925 Jul 10 A bleak, grimy adaptation of a Agatha classic — miscast, and utterly misrepresented. So much unnecessary prurience designed to repel rather than entrance. Can’t recommend it. There are far better versions. See more Michelle H May 21 I doubt Agatha Christie would have approved of (or even liked) this depressing, dark and mopey adaptation of her novel. It doesn't resemble her work in the slightest. And the Poirot character lacks any of the vitality, charm and wit that the character she wrote had. It feels like the creators just borrowed the plot/character & did their own HBO, gratuitous, weird thing to step outside of the box. But, perhaps that was the point? Anyway you look at it, this experiment failed. If the creators had just given us a glimpse of the pleasing qualities that made Poirot an iconic character, it may have worked on a small level. But their refusal to (even slightly) embrace the traditional Agatha Christie novel and the essence of what made her works great doomed this clunker. See more Cliff R 04/15/2024 There's little appreciation for the original Agatha Christie work besides maintaining character names, places, and the general plot. The author was trying way too hard to be edgy and modern, and cast everyone as miserably broken. There's little wit, humor, or even much sleuthing - surprising considering it's an adaptation of a mystery novel. It's all just gratuitous grit, sadness, and blah. See more Ted B @Movieaddicted 01/04/2024 3.5 Stars. Overall, the movie was somewhat slow and purposefully dark. The ending was good Agatha Christie style. John malkovich gave a good performance. But, i'm sorry. There is only one Poirot, and that is David Sushet. See more Trudi B 06/30/2023 Mr. Malkovich is miscast. He attempt at Hercule's accent, demeanor, pompisity is lacking. The beard and mustache are all wrong. The director's pace is slow without any surprises. The dreary optics are uninviting. Why is everything grey and black? Whose idea was it to take an energetic sarcastic intellectual and turn him into such an old boring man. I doubt Poirot would have been this dull in old age. See more S M Raisul I 11/26/2022 Not the greatest but it passes the time alright. See more Read all reviews
Agatha Christie's The ABC Murders — Miniseries

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Episodes

Episode 1 Aired Dec 26, 2018 Episode 1 In 1933, an older and grayer Hercule Poirot receives letters threatening murder; the sender signs them only as "ABC"; when he takes the letters to the police for help, Hercule finds his old friends have moved on, but there is soon a murder. Details Episode 2 Aired Dec 27, 2018 Episode 2 Hercule is held in deep suspicion by Scotland Yard and the killer sends more letters promising to spill blood; Hercule's past, integrity and identity come into question, but a friend from his past intervenes and employs him to end the slaughter. Details Episode 3 Aired Dec 28, 2018 Episode 3 With the ABC killer still on the loose, Hercule realizes that only he holds the key to the murders; he faces a race against time to stop the bloodbath. Details Episode 4 Aired Sep 7, 2022 Episode 4 Hercule faces a race against time to stop the bloodbath; just as the police believe they have caught their man, Hercule suspects further artifice. Details
The Victim 92% 97% The Victim Watchlist A Very English Scandal 97% 82% A Very English Scandal Watchlist Life on Mars 100% 97% Life on Mars Watchlist The Missing 93% 90% The Missing Watchlist Silk on Masterpiece % 79% Silk on Masterpiece Watchlist Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Season Info

Director
Alex Gabassi
Executive Producer
Basi Akpabio, James Prichard, Sarah Phelps, Damien Timmer, Helen Ziegler, Elizabeth Kilgarriff
Screenwriter
Agatha Christie, Sarah Phelps
Network
BBC
Rating
TV-14
Genre
Drama, Mystery & Thriller, Crime
Original Language
British English
Release Date
Dec 26, 2018