Masterpiece's New Trailer Reveals 'The Count of Monte Cristo'

The 20th century was a golden age for period costume dramas on television, starting with The Forsyte Saga in 1967, and PBS's Masterpiece became a household name on the back of that wave, bringing over everything from I, Claudius to Downton Abbey to American shores. However, even as bigger budget costume dramas like Bridgerton and The Gilded Age hit big on this side of the pond, there are, overall, fewer adaptations of great literary works being made in the 2020s.

The problem has reached the point that Masterpiece has turned to developing its own costume dramas, like the upcoming remake of The Forsytes, or joining forces with networks like Channel 5 to co-produce shows like All Creatures Great & Small. However, it also means that when serious costume dramas are made from famous 18th- and 19th-century novels, Masterpiece is more willing to bid for them, especially when they come from smaller production studios.

Such is the case with The Count of Monte Cristo, a co-production hailing from France Télévisions and Italy's RAI, though conveniently filmed in English. Originally released at the tail end of 2024, the series was well-received by viewers overseas and, hopefully, will appeal to PBS viewers when it arrives on this side of the pond in March 2026.

Here's the series' official synopsis:

On the eve of his wedding, Edmond Dantès’ future is suddenly snatched away when he is wrongly accused of treason. As the years pass, Edmond endures his sentence on the island prison of the Castle d’If with no hope of returning to his beloved fiancée, Mercédès. But his fortunes change when he encounters a fellow inmate, the Abbé Faria, who imparts his vast knowledge to the young man, including the whereabouts of a hidden treasure. Armed with this knowledge and the desire for revenge, Edmond escapes and reinvents himself as the wealthy and mysterious Count of Monte Cristo.

The TV series stars Sam Claflin (Enola Holmes) as the titular count, plus a cast that PBS viewers will recognize, including Jeremy Irons (The Hollow Crown) as Abbé Faria, Ana Girardot (The Returned) as Mercédès Herrera, Blake Ritson (The Gilded Age) as Baron Danglars, Karla-Simone Spence (The Confessions of Frannie Langton) as Haydée, and Mikkel Følsgaard (Dicte) as Gérard de Villefort. 

Other cast includes Lino Guanciale (Inspector Ricciardi), Gabriella Pession (Those About to Die), Harry Taurasi (The Borgias), Poppy Corby-Tuech (Harlots), Nicholas Farrell (Signora Volpe), and Martina Laird (Unforgotten).

Greg Latter (Cold Harvest) and Sandro Petraglia (A Professor) adapted the series from Alexandre Dumas’ novel, with writers Lorenzo Bagnatori, Eleonora Bordi, and Michela Straniero. Director Bille August (A War of Their Own) helmed all eight installments. Claflin is credited as an executive producer, alongside Carlo Degli Esposti, Nicola Serra, Patrizia Massa, and Max Gusberti.

The Count of Monte Cristo will get an early streaming release on PBS Passport for members and on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, with all episodes available on both platforms from Sunday, March 1, 2026. The series will air and stream on the PBS app weekly on Sundays, beginning March 22, 2026, at 10 p.m. ET on most local PBS stations, directly following the premiere of Call the Midwife Season 15 and the series debut of The Forsytes at 8 and 9 p.m. ET, respectively. Check your local listings.