In Just 1 Day, Agatha Christie’s New 3-Part Netflix Whodunnit Is an Instant Streaming Hit

Agatha Christie will never go out of style. The author is still unmatched when it comes to a thrilling mystery plot, and Netflix benefited from that with Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials.

The three-part limited series is the latest take on the 1929 novel The Seven Dials Mystery. The novel had been previously adapted in the television film Seven Dials Mystery. The new take on the story became an instant hit on Netflix, FlixPatrol reports, even despite the underwhelming reviews.

In just one day, Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials debuted straight into second place, just behind Jon Bernthal’s limited series His & Hers. The new adaptation debuted in first place in 11 territories, including Denmark, Greece, and Norway. In the U.S., it landed in second place.

Broadchurch creator Chris Chibnall wrote and created Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials, with Chris Sweeney directing. The limited series stars Mia McKenna-Bruce as Lady Bundle Brent, Edward Bluemel as Jimmy Thesiger, Iain Glen as Lord Caterham, Martin Freeman as Superintendent Battle, and Helena Bonham Carter as Lady Caterham.

McKenna-Bruce, who led the cast, called being a part of the series a “dream role, really,” praising the creator’s scripts and the “new interpretation of the iconic Agatha Christie’s storytelling.”

The three-part series takes place in England in 1925. Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials follows a practical joke gone horribly, murderously wrong at a lavish country house party.

Its description notes it will be up to the “unlikeliest of sleuths — the fizzingly inquisitive Lady Eileen “Bundle” Brent — to unravel a chilling plot that will change her life, cracking wide open the country house mystery.”

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials Had a Mixed Reception

Simon Ridgway/Netflix

The series debuted with a mixed reception, holding a score of 68% out of 25 reviews. Since the series just debuted on Jan. 15, it’s likely it will fluctuate as more reviews come in. There is no audience score at the time of writing.

Among the criticism, RogerEbert.com’s Nandini Balial argued, “There’s no regard for Christie’s prose, no idea who the series’ audience is meant to be, and no goal except to further increase Netflix’s intellectual property resources.”

Collider’s David Caballero argued the show is “Too slow to be riveting and too needlessly drawn out, it’s a run-of-the-mill adaptation of one of Christie’s most run-of-the-mill novels, and the strongest proof that not every work from the renowned author warrants a fresh take.”

Among the positive reviews, Variety’s Aramide Tinubu argued, “While the story itself may have been stronger in a film format, the performances by Freeman, Bonham Carter and McKenna-Bruce are enticing enough to keep the viewer engaged.” The London Evening Standard’s Vicky Jessop praised Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials as “pure escapism, tailor-made for American audiences, and slightly less cynical British ones. How utterly charming.”

CBR’s own Katie Doll gave Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials a positive review. It praised the gender-swapped character that “adds a more defined feminine energy that the original story,” as well as the performances from Harry Potter‘s Helena Bonham-Carter and Sherlock‘s Martin Freeman, arguing that, “the rest of the supporting cast don’t exactly have or do much to elevate the story.”

The review highlights the adaptation’s downsides “are the same ones Christie’s original novel was scorned for in 1929,” concluding it to be a “fun, short watch with a compelling lead at the forefront.”

Agatha Christie’s Seven Dials is streaming on Netflix.

Release Date

January 14, 2026

Network

Netflix

Directors

Chris Sweeney

Writers

Chris Chibnall