The 10 Best Mystery Shows If You Love Agatha Christie Stories

One of the most influential mystery authors in the literary world is English writer Agatha Christie, who wrote numerous mystery novels and short stories in her lifetime. Since then, Christie's work has been adapted into virtually every multimedia form available, with only a handful of her novels never getting any kind of adaptation. But Christie's legacy can be felt outside of her own work and their acclaimed movie adaptations, particularly within the realm of television. Whether it's period piece whodunits or postmodern takes on the genre, Christie's influence has spread like an expansive root system in television for decades.

Christie-inspired shows have a literary feel to them, playing out like pulpy whodunits. The types of investigations covered in these shows are usually murder mysteries, but other crime-driven puzzles can be involved. And just like Christie's various novel series, a lot of these shows cover a different standalone mystery in each episode while building out an overarching narrative. Here are the 10 best mystery shows to watch if you love Agatha Christie stories.

One of the longest-running American detective shows was "Murder, She Wrote," which ran from 1984 to 1996. Angela Lansbury starred as Jessica Fletcher, a mystery novelist living in a small coastal town in Maine, staying in touch with her friends and keeping herself grounded despite her success. Invariably, Jessica finds herself near hundreds of murder crime scenes, with her perceptive skills and deductive reasoning helping authorities solve the cases she becomes involved in. Midway through the series, Jessica relocates to New York City to teach university classes, which becomes the primary setting for the subsequent murder mysteries taking up her time.

Before joining "Murder, She Wrote," Lansbury played beloved Agatha Christie detective Miss Marple in the 1980 movie "The Mirror Crack'd." Lansbury brings a lot of those literary qualities to her iconic role as Jessica Fletcher, while also making Jessica her own distinct character. Indeed, Jessica feels as close to an American Miss Marple analogue as we'll get on television, elevated by Lansbury's performance. While Hollywood contemplates a modernized film adaptation, the original "Murder, She Wrote" remains a consistently enjoyable television watch.

The stuffy world of British procedurals gets a flair for the theatrical in the 1997 BBC series "Jonathan Creek." Alan Davies stars as the titular protagonist, who is a creative consultant for stage magicians, boasting years of industry experience. Surprisingly, Creek stumbles into a world of crime-solving, drawing from his expertise of stage production elements, magic tricks, and knack for creating a sense of illusion to identify criminals. Helping Creek is friend and confidante Maddy Magellan (Caroline Quentin), whose professional writing background complements Creek's skills.

Like many of Christie's protagonists, Jonathan Creek is very much the accidental hero, who doesn't initially intend to stop crime but proves to be a natural at it. Given Creek's magician background, quite a few of the mysteries he becomes involved in require him to debunk the supernatural, exposing stage trick-fueled illusions for what they are. Davies is effortlessly charismatic in his performance as Creek, leading the show across its five-season run lasting from 1997 to 2016. An enduring classic that still holds up nearly 30 years after its debut, "Jonathan Creek" blends mystery tropes with magical theatricality.

British author Anthony Horowitz is one of the most prolific crime writers working in books and television today, including writing episodes of the 1989 Christie adaptation "Poirot." Christie's influence can keenly be felt in many of Horowitz's stories, including the 2002 television series "Foyle's War." The series' protagonist is police superintendent Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen) who initially solves crimes in the English coastal city of Hastings during World War II. In the show's final two seasons, Foyle finds himself embroiled in mysteries during the early days of the Cold War.

Christopher Foyle feels like a period piece sleuth that would be right at home in a team-up with Agatha Christie's Miss Marple. Like Marple, Foyle is an older detective who is often underestimated by his duplicitous opponents due to his age and his unassuming nature. But what sets "Foyle's War" apart from most British crime shows is its WWII homefront setting, with Foyle taking on cases while the country is understandably preoccupied with the war. Sharply written and elevated by Kitchen's performance, "Foyle's War" is an atmospheric British detective series.

Ann Cleeves is another British author who's seen numerous novel series that she's written get adapted for television. The best of these is the 2011 series "Vera," following the adventures of Cleeves' veteran police detective protagonist Vera Stanhope. Brenda Blethyn stars as the eponymous crime-solver, stationed in the Northumberland region in Northern England and contemplating her impending retirement. Often consumed by her work, Vera's personal life isn't particularly well-maintained, but her observational skills remain as valuable and intuitive as ever.

While the character of Vera may be approaching retirement throughout the series, the series enjoyed a robust run on ITV, airing for an impressive 14 seasons. Along the way, Blethyn was paired with plenty of up-and-coming British actors, including Wunmi Mosaku and Cush Jumbo, in memorable supporting roles. But even for as long as "Vera" ran, the show never felt like it overstayed its welcome, with Vera constantly finding intriguing cases to solve. A genre constant for over a decade, "Vera" is one of the best British detective series ever made.

So many of Christie's mysteries, particularly those starring recurring character Hercule Poirot, occurred in destination locations, like Venice or on the Nile River. The spirit of this exotic getaway murder mystery trope is kept alive and well in the 2011 series "Death in Paradise." Set on the fictional British Caribbean territory of Saint Marie, the show features a line of British police detectives stationed on the island. Given the series' continuing length, the show has featured a rotating set of protagonists whose lives and careers are altered by the change of scenery afforded by the tropical paradise.

More than just a formulaic British crime show set in the Caribbean, "Death in Paradise" boasts a wicked sense of humor. The series has steadily improved over time, subtly redefining itself with every change of the guard in terms of protagonists, each providing a fresh perspective. The fact that the show films on location in Guadeloupe certainly helps, with the production making good use of the environment. A sun-soaked alternative to the usual dour and dreary British mysteries, "Death in Paradise" has some well-earned fun with the genre.

Australian author Kerry Greenwood wrote numerous historical mystery novels, most notably following 1920s private detective Phryne Fisher in Melbourne. These books were adapted into the 2012 series "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries," initially broadcast on the Australian channel ABC. Essie Davis stars as Fisher, who solves murders around Australia while haunted by the death of her younger sister when they were both children. This trauma leads Fisher to carry on with a solitary lifestyle, living alone and avoiding serious long-term romantic partners despite historical norms in 1920s Melbourne.

"Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" is a period piece show that doesn't get bogged down in the minutiae of its historical setting. Instead, the series takes advantage of the story's jazzy qualities, leaning into the timeless and evocative glamor from the time period. Grounding it all is Davis' performance, effortlessly commanding every scene she's in as the confident Phryne Fisher. One of the best crime shows to come out of Australia, "Miss Fisher's Murder Mysteries" is well worth checking out.

Britain's rich theatrical history serves as the backdrop for the 2018 comedy mystery series "Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators." Set in William Shakespeare's hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon, the series focuses on private detective Frank Hathaway (Mark Benton) and his struggling business. After Hathaway helps Luella Shakespeare (Jo Joyner) solve her husband's murder, she becomes his business partner as they solve cases around town. Assisting the two detectives is Sebastian Brudenell (Patrick Walshe McBride), a classically trained actor who draws from his theater background to help with the cases.

Fitting in with its comedic sensibilities, the mysteries covered in "Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators" never feel too high-stakes. Instead, the real appeal of the show is in the chemistry between its lead actors as they continue working together and complementing each other. Stratford-upon-Avon provides a welcome change in scenery from the usual London-based British crime shows and, of course, provides its own celebrated historical background. Another easygoing British detective show that takes advantage of its cast and setting, "Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators" is a subtly funny comfort watch.

The 2018 South Korean series "Ms. Ma, Nemesis" is probably the most inventive take on Christie's work, both modernizing her stories and reframing them for Korean audiences. The K-drama is based on Christie's final novel, "Nemesis," as its overarching tale, but also offers its own retelling of a number of other Christie tales. The show follows mystery writer Ma Ji-won (Yunjin Kim), who is falsely convicted and jailed for the murder of her daughter. Escaping from prison, Ji-won sets out to identify her daughter's true murderer while solving other mysteries in the small village where she takes refuge.

There are a lot of mysteries at play in "Ms. Ma, Nemesis" — more than the overarching murder and smaller cases-of-the-week for its protagonist to solve. Ji-won is assisted by a strange woman (Ko Sung-hee) claiming to be her niece, while the personalities in Ji-won's new community have secrets of their own. Meanwhile, Ji-won has a vested interest in avenging her daughter, giving the show a more personal edge than most Christie adaptations. A fun and original reworking of Christie's lesser-known novels from a South Korean perspective, "Ms. Ma, Nemesis" is a fresh cross-cultural transposition of those classic pulp stories.

It's clear that filmmaker Rian Johnson is a huge Agatha Christie fan, with her influence evident in his "Knives Out" movies. Johnson created the Peacock original series "Poker Face" in 2021, starring Natasha Lyonne as Charlie Cale, a woman preternaturally able to tell when someone is lying. Hard on her luck, Charlie often finds herself pursued by dangerous figures from her past, driving cross-country in her Plymouth Barracuda. Along the way, Charlie stumbles into mysteries drawing from her unique expertise, even as her own personal life is in tatters.

While a strong show out the gate, "Poker Face" season 2 fixes its biggest season 1 problem by focusing on a more episodic approach rather than an overarching narrative. Anchoring it all is a career-best performance from Lyonne, who also executive produces and occasionally directs and writes for the series. If Johnson created a neo-Hercule Poirot in Daniel Craig's Benoit Blanc, he provides modern audiences with his own twist on Miss Marple in Charlie. Full of familiar guest stars and effective experimentation, particularly in season 2, "Poker Face" is one of the best original shows streaming on Peacock.

Another adaptation of an Anthony Horowitz novel, this time adapted directly by Horowitz himself, "Magpie Murders" is a 2022 postmodern mystery show. The series has book editor Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) discover that author Alan Conway (Conleth Hill) died before completing his final novel centering on detective Atticus Pünd (Tim McMullan). Realizing Conway drew from real people in his life when writing his stories, Ryeland searches for a way to complete his last novel while learning what exactly happened to him.

"Magpie Murders" effectively offers audiences two stories for the price of one, paralleling Ryeland's investigation with Pünd's adventures. The strong writing and performances keep these dual narratives easy to follow, simultaneously deconstructing and celebrating literary whodunits. Manville reprised her role as Ryeland for the 2024 sequel series "Moonflower Murders," revisiting an earlier Pünd novel and its real-world inspiration. Briskly told in six episodes, "Magpie Murders" revolves around a multi-layered mystery embracing and subverting the familiar genre tropes.