Martin Freeman's New Netflix Miniseries Is An Agatha Christie Adaptation Worth Watching

When the world appears to be falling apart, escapism is often all we have, and according to critics, Netflix's new three-part Agatha Christie adaptation, "Seven Dials," is exactly that. In fact, The Independent has called "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" (to use its full, official title) "perfect escapism," which sounds like the ideal solution to the case of a world beset by misery and tumult.

The new series hit Netflix on January 15, 2026, and boasts an impressive cast, with Mia McKenna-Bruce, Edward Bluemel, Iain Glen, Martin Freeman, and Helena Bonham Carter all starring. It's based on Christie's 1929 mystery novel "The Seven Dials Mystery" and comes from "Broadchurch" creator Chris Chibnall, who also wrote the series. As one of Christie's less intense crime novels, the show makes for some solid comfort viewing, even as it revolves around the death of a Foreign Office worker.

Indeed, its reviews have been generally pretty solid so far. Though it may not be remembered as one of the all-time best Agatha Christie adaptations, critics have commended its creatives for the show's pacing, lavish English locales, and the immersive period detail — all of which likely would have pleased the Queen of Crime herself, as the novel actually debuted to much harsher reviews back in the 1920s. Thankfully, "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" is in no way one of the worst Christie adaptations and is actually quite engrossing. Freeman, in particular, gets to star here as Superintendent Battle, a character who showed up in several of Christie's novels and has previously been brought to life on-screen by many a great actor.

"Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" revolves around the death of Gerry Wade, as portrayed by Corey Mylchreest. The actor previously played King George III in "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" and even starred in "My Oxford Year" (a Netflix romantic drama with a somewhat controversial ending). Sadly, however, Wade doesn't hang around long in either Christie's source material or its Netflix adaptation, as the character soon turns up dead due to an overdose of sleeping draught following a party at a stately location known as Chimneys. The night before, though, Wade's friends and fellow party guests played a prank on the notoriously deep sleeper by placing eight alarm clocks in his bedroom, all timed to ring at different hours. But when Wade's body is discovered in the morning, surrounded by the incessant ring of multiple alarms, one of the clocks is missing.

So begins one of Christie's more lighthearted, loosely-plotted mysteries, which, upon her original novel's 1929 debut, was met with less-than-stellar reviews, with critics struggling to adapt to the author's change in style. Her previous books had been more intricate in their plots, but "The Seven Dials Mystery" focused more on its characters and featured a solution that critics unanimously found to be absurd and impossible to have predicted.

Chris Chibnall, however, felt differently. "It really surprised me reading it again, how modern it was, how funny it was, how lively it was," he told Tudum, stating that the book's more lighthearted elements really stood out to him. Thus, he began adapting the novel for TV, and "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials' was the result — with Mia McKenna-Bruce starring as Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent, the socialite who sets out to solve the mystery of her friend Wade's death.

Unlike the original novel, "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials" has been met with much praise. The Hollywood Reporter's Daniel Fienberg, for instance, complimented Mia McKenna-Bruce for her lead performance, on which the entire show hinges. "The 28-year-old actress brings ample wit, charm and, yes, pluck to 'Seven Dials,'" wrote Fienberg, describing her portrayal of Lady Eileen "Bundle" Brent as a breakout role for the British actor. The writer also referred to Helena Bonham Carter as being "expertly aloof" in the crucial role of Lady Caterham, but noted that Martin Freeman's part is mostly there to establish Superintendent Battle as a character who could potentially return in future seasons. The show certainly sets the stage for more to come, too, although Netflix has yet to confirm whether "Seven Dials" will continue beyond its first installment. 

Elsewhere, writing for The Standard, Bicky Jessop described the show as "just tremendous fun" and noted that while the plot is "silly," the series "manages to skirt the edge of absurdity" and keeps the plot "romping along at the speed of a good ol' steam train." The Guardian's Lucy Mangan was less complimentary, though, and summed up the miniseries as "Agatha Christie by way of Enid Blyton, made for an international market that thinks 'Downton Abbey' is real and that Paddington Bear is holding the queen's hand in Heaven."

Indeed, many viewers might find more to like in Kenneth Branagh's Hercule Poirot movies based on Agatha Christie's books, and there are so many great mystery shows to watch for fans of Christie's stories. But again, "Seven Dials" is far from the worst attempt at bringing the author's words to life on-screen and might even be one of the better ones.