If You Love Agatha Christie, You Need To Watch These 10 Detective TV Shows

Agatha Christie is one of the most influential crime writers of all time, and her work continues to inspire new works in a broad range of media, meaning there are some incredible TV shows that fans of hers are sure to love. Christie's approach to crime stories helped her become a prolific writer, as she struck upon a style that was easily identifiable and extremely addicting.

While there are still new Agatha Christie movies and TV shows for fans to look forward to, there are also some unrelated shows worth checking out. These shows take inspiration from Christie without directly adapting one of her stories, borrowing ideas like a limited pool of suspects, compelling detective protagonists, puzzle-like structures and psychological examinations. Of course, a distinctly British setting and some dry wit is always a bonus for Christie fans.

10 Jonathan Creek

A Magician Uses His Knowledge To Separate Truth From Illusions

Fans of British comedy will recognize Alan Davies for his role as a mainstay on the panel show QI, but he's also a capable actor. Jonathan Creek gave Davies his most popular role, as he plays a magician's creative consultant who uses his logical reasoning skills and his understanding of illusions to solve criminal mysteries.

Although there are some laugh-out-loud moments, the show focuses on the mysteries.

Although there are some laugh-out-loud moments, many of which come from Jonathan's back-and-forth with his partner, the show focuses on the mysteries. Rather than revolving around who committed a certain crime or why, many of Jonathan Creek's most cunning cases are about how exactly the crime played out. This makes Jonathan Creek a slightly different offering, but its forensic detail evokes Agatha Christie.

9 Death In Paradise

A Long-Running Series That Keeps The Quality High

Long-running mystery shows tend to run out of steam at a certain point, especially those which undergo massive cast changes. Death in Paradise has so far proven immune to these trends, delivering a consistently high quality of murder mysteries, set in a gorgeous island paradise.

Death in Paradise has two spinoffs.

Fans will usually have their own favorite out of Death in Paradise's lead detectives, but each character is distinct from the others, so they manage to avoid direct comparisons. The fact that each actor is so charming and easy to spend time with is also a big help.

8 Broadchurch

David Tennant And Olivia Colman Lead A Brilliant Ensemble Cast

Broadchurch stars David Tennant and Olivia Colman as two mismatched detectives who frequently butt heads as they investigate the death of a child in a sleepy coastal town. While both actors bring their A-game, the real magic of Broadchurch comes from the compelling ensemble cast, who create an immersive vision of a seemingly idyllic town hiding some dark secrets.

A black-and-white image of Agatha Christie overtop a background of her novels

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Broadchurch's intense criminal case takes a series of unexpected twists and turns, with each episode casting the eye of suspicion on a different character. Although there's no shortage of suspects, Broadchurch season 1 delivers a final twist that's sure to shock and satisfy even the most experienced fan of the mystery genre.

7 Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators

A Hidden Gem Of British Mystery Shows

Shakespeare and Hathaway: Private Investigators gets a lot of its comedic momentum from the strange relationship between a disheveled ex-cop and a hairdresser who buys into his business. However, their lively chemistry also propels the show's intriguing mysteries, as they use unorthodox methods just outside the law to get the job done.

Shakespeare and Hathaway takes place in the beautiful English town of Stratford-Upon-Avon, famously the birthplace of William Shakespeare. It's a smart setting for a distinctly British detective show, even if it isn't as complex or challenging as any of Shakespeare's great tragedies. Shakespeare and Hathaway fits neatly into the subgenre of cozy crime, and it's always easy to watch.

6 Poker Face

Natasha Lyonne Shines In An Inverted Mystery Series

American mystery shows don't take inspiration from Agatha Christie as often as British shows, but Poker Face creator Rian Johnson has shown his reverence for the author with his Knives Out franchise. Poker Face is another step removed from Christie's work, but it's still well worth watching, as it's one of the best mystery shows of recent years.

Poker Face uses an inverted structure, showing the culprit at the beginning of the episode, so the detective is tasked with unraveling the clues and collecting enough evidence. Natasha Lyonne plays her part brilliantly, bringing plenty of deadpan wit to the show. With Poker Face season 2 coming soon, it's the perfect time to catch up on the first season.

5 Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries

An Australian Show For Fans Of Agatha Christie

Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries is a gorgeous whodunnit series, winding its way through the jazz bars of 1920s Melbourne, Australia. Although the show takes place a world away from Agatha Christie's stories, the period setting, the feisty female detective and the playful mix of crime and comedy evoke Miss Marplein some ways.

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Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries has reached an international audience, introducing millions of people to a side of Australian history that they might not have otherwise known about. This quirky setting is a colorful backfrop for some thrilling mysteries, with a splash of action to keep things feeling urgent and lively.

4 Mare Of Easttown

Kate Winslet's Performance Is Just One Reason To Watch

Kate Winslet won an Emmy for her performance in Mare of Easttown, and she makes the show worth watching single-handedly. However, it would be wrong to reduce such a compelling, nerve-racking show to the performance of one actor, because Mare of Easttown has a lot more going for it.

Mare of Easttown is like some of Agatha Christie's darkest stories, showing that a wide range of suspects are all duplicitous and guilty in their own ways. It also shares the same small-town setting which Christie often returned to, one in which the illusion of polite society hides something much uglier. This makes Mare of Easttown's ending deeply unsettling.

3 Foyle's War

Anthony Horowitz's Period Drama Is Easy To Get Lost In

Anthony Horowitz has been one of Britain's finest crime writers for a while now, and his TV projects are just as compelling as his books. Foyle's War delivered eight seasons, with each episode's runtime mirroring a feature-length movie. This makes the show one worth investing in, since the main character and the world around him evolve naturally as each mystery plays out.

Foyle's War mostly takes place during the Second World War, as a methodical detective investigates the kinds of criminals who seek to either profit directly from the war or use the confusion and fear in the streets as cover for their crimes. It's an interesting look at the home front which shines a light on an aspect of the war that often goes unnoticed. The later seasons examine the tumultuous post-war period.

2 Magpie Murders

Magpie Murders Weaves Two Narrative Threads Together

Another Anthony Horowitz show, Magpie Murders follows two narratives at once. One mystery concerns a publisher trying to solve the murder of a venerated crime writer, and the show also delves into the mystery in his final manuscript. These two narrative threads mingle and mirror each other in consistently surprising ways.

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Of course, the third layer of Magpie Murders' complex mystery is the metatextual context of Horowitz's status as a crime writer. This gives Magpie Murders added charm for Horowitz's fans, but it works brilliantly for newcomers too. The way that it balances two mysteries is admirable, and it means that there's always a new clue to decipher and a new suspect to inspect.

1 Ludwig

Ludwig Treats Each Murder Mystery Like A Fiendish Puzzle

Although there have been only six episodes of Ludwig so far, the BBC mystery comedy has been renewed for a second season. There are also rumors of an American version of Ludwig, but it could be hard to replicate the success of the original. One problem will be finding an actor who fits the role of reluctant, bookish detective as perfectly as David Mitchell.

David Mitchell plays the role of a reluctant, bookish detective perfectly.

Agatha Christie's mysteries sometimes feel like puzzles that ask the audience to try and solve them. Ludwig takes this idea and runs with it, as a reclusive puzzle-maker finds himself impersonating his identical twin brother as a homicide detective. It's a joyous deconstruction of the mystery genre's foibles, and Mitchell brings plenty of affable humor to the role.

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