Sam Claflin is The Count Of Monte Cristo in teaser for new Masterpiece PBS series

Jeremy Irons leads the supporting cast in the latest adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 novel.

By Drew Gillis  |  January 22, 2026 | 12:18pm
Screenshot: Masterpiece PBS/YouTube
TV News The Count of Monte Cristo
Sam Claflin is The Count Of Monte Cristo in teaser for new Masterpiece PBS series

It’s been decades since there was a straight-forward, live-action, English-language adaptation of The Count Of Monte Cristo. That may sound like a lot of qualifiers, but there have been no shortage of Monte Cristo adaptations in general, be they animated, produced in Turkey, South Korea, or Mexico, or incorporated into Disney’s Once Upon A Time. But as far as we can tell, Masterpiece PBS’ new Monte Cristo is the first since the BBC’s 1964 12-part series to check this particular box. 

Masterpiece shared a new teaser for the series, which has previously aired in Italy, Switzerland, and Sweden, today. The clip doesn’t reveal too much plot—it’s nearly 200 years old, to be fair—though it does look like no expense was spared. Lavish costumes and settings populate as we hear character gossip about the mysterious Count before he finally reveals himself. This time, it’s Sam Claflin stepping into the costume, with Jeremy Irons, Mikkel Boe Følsgaard, Ana Girardot, Blake Ritson, and Karla-Simone Spence among the supporting cast. 

The Count Of Monte Cristo will begin streaming on the Masterpiece app and on Prime Video starting on March 1. The eight-episode series will then receive an old-fashioned television run on PBS starting on Sunday, March 22 at 10/9 c.

 
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