PBS’ Masterpiece Classic is returning for a new season next month, and this year it’s revisiting two stories that have made appearances on the program before—“The Count of Monte Cristo” and “The Forsytes.” 

“The Count of Monte Cristo,” starring Brit Sam Claflin as the protagonist Edmond Dantès, hits PBS’ streaming app beginning March 1 and airs weekly on the network beginning March 22. It’s one of a long line of adaptations of the 1844 Alexandre Dumas novel of revenge and adventure stretching more than a century. 

This eight-episode English-language production was directed by Bille August (“The House of the Spirits”) and also stars Ana Girardot as Mercédès Herrera, Edmond’s fiancée; and Jeremy Irons (“The Lion King”) as Abbé Faria, a fellow prisoner and mentor to Edmond. 

Edmond and his tale of revenge on those who betrayed him and landed him in prison at Château d’If for 14 years has been one of the most-adapted stories in cinematic history. It’s no surprise given that it has consistently remained at the top of “most read” and “favorite books” lists. The fact that the story is heavily plot-driven also helps, including a dramatic prison escape, a treasure hunt, disguises, duals and even courtroom drama. A tortured romance provides even more melodrama in the best way possible.

Filmmakers have been fascinated by “The Count of Monte Cristo” as far back as the infancy of cinema—actor Hobart Bosworth portrayed Edmond in 1908, the first of several silent film adaptations. The first serialized version of the adaptation came from a British series aired in 1956 starring George Dolenz. 

We’d be remiss if we failed to mention some highlights, though, starting with the definitive early sound-era version in 1934 starring Robert Donat. The producer on the film, Eddie Small, went on to release two sequels to the film—”The Son of Monte Cristo” in 1940 and “The Return of Monte Cristo” in 1946. 

The 1934 version sits right on the cusp on what would become a Hollywood fascination with swashbuckler films, with Errol Flynn’s breakout role in “Captain Blood” coming just a year later. While more psychologically driven than some of those later adventure films, “The Count of Monte Cristo” displayed some of those hallmark features—a dashing hero who drives the story, rapid swordplay and duels, revenge arcs and, of course, romance. 

In Dumas’ native France, perhaps the gold standard adaptation is the 1998 four-episode series starring Gérard Depardieu. This lavish, big-budget production is generally considered one of the most faithful modern adaptations of the book. 

Hollywood again visited “The Count of Monte Cristo” in 2002 with a feature film starring Jim Caviezel as Edmond, Guy Pearce as his foe, Fernand Mondego and Richard Harris as Abbé Faria. The film greatly pared down the sprawling plot of the story, but became perhaps the most familiar version to many American audiences. 

The new Claflin-led series has already been released to European audiences as early as December 2024 and unfortunately received generally negative reviews. The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan described the adaptation as “full of howlers, wooden acting and terrible dialogue, but at points it’s so bad it’s fun.”

‘The Forsytes’

On to another classic, albeit one less well-known, “The Forsyte Saga.” This is a series of three novels (“The Man of Property,” “In Chancery” and “The Let”) and two short stories (“Indian Summer of a Forsyte” and “Awakening”) written by John Galsworthy published between 1906 and 1921. The chronicle of an upper-middle-class Edwardian family earned him the 1932 Nobel Prize in Literature. 

The books, published as a collection in 1922, follows the Forsyte family across the turn of the century, centering on Soames. He’s a successful—and possessive—solicitor who marries the independent Irene. Their marriage sparks decades of family conflict.

A new adaptation of the series, “The Forsytes,” was first released in Britain in October 2025 and now heads to U.S. audiences beginning March 22 on PBS. Joshua Orpin stars as Soames and Millie Gibson is Irene. Also starring in the series is Jack Davenport, Stephen Moyer and Eleanor Tomlinson. 

There have been several adaptations of the family melodrama, beginning in the 1920s with three silent films. 

The 1967 BBC adaptation is considered a landmark version of the original text. It starred Eric Porter and Nyree Dawn Porter and is considered a defining moment in the early life of the prestige literary television serial. 

And this isn’t the first time the Forsytes have made an appearance on PBS. Back when it was still known as Masterpiece Theatre, “The Forsyte Saga” (2002) and “The Forsyte Saga: To Let” (2003) reintroduced the family to American audiences in a lush, emotionally driven adaptation.

The series starred Damian Lewis as Soames and Gina McKee as Irene, and included Rupert Graves, Ioan Gruffudd and Corin Redgrave. 

Will the new series, helmed by Meenu Gaur and Annetta Laufer, live up to its predecessors? 

About the author

Danielle Haynes is the co-founder and co-editor of Booked & Screened, covering book-to-screen adaptations, film and TV development. She recently rewatched the 1975 version of “The Count of Monte Cristo,” which starred Richard Chamberlain and Tony Curtis, and aired on Masterpiece Theatre. Boy, have wigs come a long way since then.