Ten Mystery and Thriller Series That Deserve a Television Adaptation

Adapting familiar detectives can bring readers back to the screen, but the character has to survive the move. With fresh versions of Hercule Poirot, Tommy and Tuppence and Miss Marple in the works, I’d rather see television take a chance on other crime fiction: series with a clear identity, a strong central relationship or a setting that gives each mystery its own texture.

That doesn’t mean every classic sleuth is an obvious fit. Suggestions from readers on Twitter and BlueSky included Freeman Wills Crofts, E C R Lorac and John Rhode. Their investigators can spend a book methodically working through a case, which is part of the appeal on the page. For television, though, I’d want an additional hook. Here are ten series that could bring one.

Contemporary mysteries with a distinctive feel

The Joe Plantagenet Mysteries could bring a supernatural edge to a familiar detective format. I’d considered Kate Ellis’s Wesley Peterson books, where present-day investigations connect with archaeology and the past. But the darker atmosphere of the Plantagenet series feels particularly suited to a Sunday evening mystery: unsettling enough to offer a scare, with proper detection at its centre.

The Ethelred & Elsie Mysteries offer a different kind of appeal: clever puzzles, smart humour and a lively partnership. Elsie Thirkettle looks like a character an actor could make her own, and L C Tyler’s double act seems ready for television with little adjustment. It would give viewers a mystery that knows how to make them laugh as well as guess.

The Lake District Mysteries would put DI Hannah Scarlett at the centre, alongside historian Daniel Kind. Martin Edwards’s books combine intricate cold cases with striking scenery and a romance that leaves room for uncertainty. The partnership gives the mysteries an ongoing emotional thread, while the Lake District supplies a setting with an appeal of its own.

Rachel Savernake and Harry Devlin were also possibilities. Savernake, in particular, might demand a substantial period budget to bring her world to the screen.

Golden Age stories with room for character

The Joseph Spector Mysteries could recreate the theatrical world of the Golden Age, but there’s a practical question: Tom Mead has written four books so far. That’s a limited supply for a continuing series, although his short stories could provide material. New stories written for the screen might help, but they’d need to preserve the ingenuity that makes the books work. And putting that theatrical world on screen could be expensive.

The Gervase Fen Mysteries are the Golden Age choice I can most readily picture. Ronald Fagarazzi, an expert in Golden Age adaptations, suggested them, and Fen’s exuberant personality makes the case. His stories can tip into the over-the-top, which could suit a comic period drama in the vein of the Peter Davison Campion adaptations. There isn’t a great deal of source material, but what’s there could make for a particularly entertaining run.

The Anthony Bathurst Mysteries have a deep backlist and a compact central cast: Bathurst, MacMorran and potentially Helen Repton. Fifty-three books offer plenty of cases to choose from, while Bathurst’s charm and obliviousness to the women falling for him give the series a personal thread. I once spoke with a producer who wanted background information on the books. Some changes came up, including giving Bathurst PTSD; nothing came of the conversation as far as I know, but the variety of mysteries was what had drawn their interest.

The Sir Henry Merrivale Mysteries pair some of the finest locked-room puzzles with humour. John Dickson Carr also wrote the Gideon Fell mysteries, and I’d be happy to borrow from those if Merrivale’s books ran short. Some stories give Merrivale little to do, so there’d be no need to adapt every title. Ken and Evelyn Blake could also provide younger regular characters around him.

Ensemble casts and modern thrillers

The Brother Athelstan Mysteries stood out among Paul Doherty’s series, ahead of Mike Jecks’s Templar books. Athelstan’s parish of St Erconwald’s offers a mostly fixed home base, and the larger cast gives the stories an ensemble feel. Benedicta, Athelstan’s impossible love interest, could become a regular alongside him. Impossible crimes, frequent deaths and parishioners who can provide comic relief would balance the darker material. Recreating the fourteenth century could stretch the budget.

The Washington Poe and Tilly Thrillers are among my favourite contemporary thrillers. At the launch of The Killer’s Mark, M W Craven indicated that an adaptation may already be in progress. My main question is how a screen version would get Tilly right; that character’s particular qualities are central to the appeal.

The Logan MacRae Novels would bring Stuart MacBride’s dark thrillers and dark humour to the screen. Tartan Noir has already caught the attention of television producers, yet DCI Roberta Steel still seems made for a memorable role. Her foul mouth and forceful personality could anchor a series, with room for a spin-off later.

Reader suggestions worth a look

Suggestions from BlueSky included Sara Woods’s Antony Maitland series, which came up twice, and Moray Dalton from Dean Street Press. I haven’t warmed to the first Antony Maitland book I tried, so I’d welcome a recommendation for a better entry point. Dalton’s books haven’t yet persuaded me that they have a memorable recurring sleuth.

BlueDragonLandlady suggested Simon Mason’s DI Wilkins books, set in Oxford, with a mismatched pair of detectives who are both called Wilkins. UncleRobin put forward Iona Wishaw’s Lane Winslow series, set in postwar Canada. Other readers named Michael Stanley’s Botswana-set Detective Kubu books and Harini Nagrenda’s Bangalore Detective Club. Those settings could make for adaptations aimed at audiences beyond Britain, and several of these suggestions have sent me looking for new series to read.

There’s no shortage of mysteries with screen potential once the search moves beyond the usual familiar names. The best candidates here have something that can carry a series: a vivid lead, a distinctive partnership, a playful tone or a world worth returning to. Which crime fiction series would you like to see on television?