Agatha Christie’s Tommy and Tuppence brings a modern take on Christie to BritBox, while also preserving the reliable elements that fans know and love. It’s an interesting balancing act across six episodes—being so keen on updating the characters and the world, and yet certain things never change. What makes a good mystery remains the same.
The hook of the series is that it’s the first contemporary Christie adaptation, and that’s made very clear from the start. From inclusive casting to social media as a crime-solving tool, Tommy and Tuppence emphasizes that this is no period drama. One can’t blame writer Phoebe Eclair-Powell for having a little too much fun with the modern angle, when no one’s done it before.
The novelty wears off after the first two episodes—which are wisely released together since the first requires a fair amount of exposition about Tommy, Tuppence and their history together, as well as time for the actors to find their rhythm. But those two leads, Antonia Thomas and Josh Dylan, are why Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence is worth the watch; they’ve got the chemistry that the show’s premise depends on.
It’s a particular pleasure to see Thomas in a role so different from her well-known work as Dr. Claire Browne on the ABC hit The Good Doctor. Here, she plays struggling actress Tuppence Cowley, who uses her acting skills to be an amateur sleuth similar to Gina Bellman in Leverage. Thomas doesn’t get to vamp it up quite as much as Bellman does, but she’s got a few great moments, such as when Tuppence pretends to be German. In contrast, Dylan (who portrayed the younger version of Bill in Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again) has a quiet earnestness that is delightfully charming. Viewers see quickly how Tommy and Tuppence’s dynamic works, but the actors make it sparkle. The show really thrives on that relationship, because viewers then want to follow them anywhere.
At the same time, though, mystery fans know the broad strokes of this show. The main characters are seemingly different, but turn out to be a great crime-solving pair. The whodunits themselves are not particularly difficult to figure out. The police characters (played by Beyond Paradise‘s Chizzy Akudolo and Doctor Who‘s Callie Cooke) are typical cops who are skeptical of civilians interfering in their work. And there are some great British TV mainstays here, including Imelda Staunton and Sean Pertwee, that make this series feel even more familiar. Tommy and Tuppence has reinvented its world, but not the genre.
Audiences who are looking for something unique or particularly challenging may thus feel disappointed by the cases of the week. But for anyone who’s into mysteries for the pure fun of it, Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence is a fine choice. While it does accomplish its goal of establishing what a modern-day Agatha Christie story looks like, that actually becomes more of an afterthought to watching Thomas and Dylan build their chemistry.
This isn’t the first time these characters have been adapted, but it’s been a while; just over a decade ago, Call the Midwife‘s Jessica Raine and Little Britain‘s David Walliams played these roles on TV, albeit later in their canon. Thomas and Dylan get to portray Tuppence and Tommy earlier on, and so it’s like the audience are figuring out the characters as the characters are doing the same. It creates a fun experience—certainly not as intense or as twisty as other Agatha Christie adaptations, but that’s not the point. Tommy and Tuppence are both looking for adventure, and that’s what this BritBox series gives everyone.
Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence streams Tuesdays on BritBox. Photo Credit: Lara Cornell/Courtesy of BritBox.
Article content is (c)2020-2026 Brittany Frederick and may not be excerpted or reproduced without express written permission by the author. Follow me on Twitter at @BFTVTwtr and on Instagram at @BFTVGram. For story pitches, contact me at tvbrittanyf@yahoo.com.
