Based on Agatha Christie’s well-liked, but perhaps lesser-known, characters, BritBox’s “Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” is the first contemporary English-language adaptation of the detective duo. Set in modern-day London, the series follows Tommy (Josh Dylan), a crime novelist doing a favor for an old friend when he encounters his college sweetheart, Tuppence (Antonia Thomas). An aspiring actress, Tuppence has returned to the U.K. following a stint in Los Angeles where she was trying to get her big break. Reeling from their unexpected reunion, neither of them expects to be thrust into the middle of a murder investigation. Though the show takes a moment to get its bearings, “Tommy & Tuppence” blossoms, becoming an engaging mystery drama. It doesn’t quite break the mold, but still carries its audience on an adventure-filled journey of murder and mayhem.
The six-episode series opens at an Alice & Wonderland-themed wedding. Tuppence is there to work as part of the serving staff, and Tommy, a friend of the groom, steps in to take photos after the hired photographer is a no-show. When the pair collide, Tommy is eager to catch up. However, Tuppence is skittish about revisiting the past, especially because her life is currently in limbo. The twosome briefly part ways, but are thrust back together after a guest is found dead, and the groom is arrested for the murder.
Shell-shocked after such a harrowing evening, Tommy and Tuppence find themselves reminiscing about old times in Tommy’s flat. Confused by the brutality of the crime and the resulting arrest and inspired by Tommy’s Aunt Ada (Imelda Staunton), a retired private investigator, the duo begin digging into what really happened at the mad-hatter-themed nuptials. Though the series’ opener begins promisingly, the lackluster clues and haphazard narrative weigh it down. It feels especially taxing since the duo’s first investigation spills over into Episode 2. Moreover, when the duo focus on their messy relationships — particularly Tuppence’s familial and romantic life — instead of the mystery, the series becomes frustrating and tiresome.
“Tommy & Tuppence” doesn’t really begin to find its footing until the end of Episode 2. Aunt Ada, the show’s narrator and guide for Tuppence and Tommy, shares a nugget of information that alters the show’s direction. Aunt Ada’s reveal will undoubtedly compel audiences to press play on Episode 3, where the pair’s newly formed agency, Blunt’s Brilliant Detectives, officially gets up and running. As they get into their rhythm, the true spark and chemistry between Thomas’ Tuppence and Dylan’s Tommy start to rise to the surface. Moreover, as the duo begins investigating better constructed mysteries, the former couple’s contrasting personalities — an overly cautious Tommy versus a highly impulsive Tuppence — are revealed.
In Episode 3, as the sleuths probe the theft of a rare pearl necklace, they happen upon something much more sinister and alarming; it’s a revelation audiences likely won’t see coming. What’s revealed makes up for the series’ clunky opening while showing how layered and textured the best mysteries are. Things get even more complicated when Tommy and Tuppence find themselves on the radar of local police officers, Detective Sergeant Draper (Callie Cooke), who is happy to have some helping hands and Detective Inspector Merriot (Chizzy Akudolu), who isn’t too keen on having the pair muddling in police affairs.
The final three episodes of the season make “Tommy & Tuppence” worthwhile. The amateur detectives remain in an excruciating will-they-won’t-they limbo with Tuppence literally fleeing to avoid facing her past in Los Angeles or a possible future with Tommy. Yet the show’s final mystery is a whirlwind, beginning on Halloween in 1989 and stretching into the present day. These concluding episodes reveal the series’ true potential, which would be better served if the obvious feelings between the couple were left to simmer for a couple of seasons instead of being a constant, recurring theme.
“Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” is solid, but as the former college sweethearts-turned-sleuths dig deep into intricate crimes that go beyond the obvious, it soars. Luckily, by the time the season comes to a close, it appears “Tommy & Tuppence” and its characters have finally begun to find their footing.
The first two episodes of “Agatha Christie’s Tommy & Tuppence” debut Sept. 15 on BritBox, with the remaining episodes airing weekly on Tuesdays.