# The ABC Murders (2018)

> In 1933, a greying Hercule Poirot receives threatening letters signed A.B.C. and must solve a murder when the police and his old friends fail him.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/69398

## Facts

- Seasons: 1
- Episodes: 3
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: crime, drama, mystery
- Network: BBC One
- Cast: John Malkovich, Rupert Grint, Neil Hurst, Eamon Farren, Andrew Buchan, Bronwyn James, Tara Fitzgerald, Kevin McNally
- TMDB rating: 6.6/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt8463714/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: measured
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: layered
- Violence: moderate
- Tone: melancholic, elegant, tense, wistful

## What critics say

Reviews broadly agree that John Malkovich's lead performance and the Agatha Christie mystery craft carry this single season, though the adaptation is not seen as a major step beyond the source.

## Synopsis

The ABC Murders (2018) is a British three-part miniseries created for BBC One, adapted from Agatha Christie's novel and produced by Mammoth Screen. John Malkovich plays an older, greyer Hercule Poirot, who receives letters threatening murder signed only A.B.C. When he takes them to the police hoping for help, he discovers that his old friends have moved on without him, and his efforts are met with indifference from Inspector Crome (Rupert Grint). Soon a murder occurs and the once-great detective must act on his own, following the letters' alphabetical pattern through a sequence of crimes and suspects. The engine of the story is a methodical hunt for a serial killer, built on taunting correspondence, a web of suspects, and the wounded pride of a man who once commanded respect. The show is a single continuous investigation across three hour-long episodes, with a closed, self-contained shape rather than a case-of-the-week format. Set in 1930s England, it carries the atmosphere of interwar unease and the ghost of the First World War. The tone is elegant and melancholic, with a mystery that unfolds in measured, deliberate steps. Fans of Poirot, Miss Marple, The Alienist and Sherlock will find resonance in its classic whodunit craft and prestige British polish.

## Shows like The ABC Murders

- [Dalgliesh (2021)](https://ember.film/tv/113246)
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- [The Marlow Murder Club (2024)](https://ember.film/tv/146314)
- [Murder Before Evensong (2025)](https://ember.film/tv/186850)
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- [Wallander (2008)](https://ember.film/tv/6763)
- [The Pale Horse (2020)](https://ember.film/tv/79270)
- [And Then There Were None (2015)](https://ember.film/tv/57205)
- [Strike (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/63405)

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