From black-and-white silent films and series to regional adaptations, French thrillers, and a Jim Caviezel noughties hit, Alexandre Dumas’s 1844 classic makes for evergreen source material for film and TV.

Now, star Sam Claflin puts his own charming spin on the vengeance-seeking prisoner Edmond Dantes in a new eight-episode miniseries that faithfully recreates the tumultuous years of early 19th-century France.

True to Dumas’ novel, the TV adaptation promises political conspiracies, personal vendettas, and sprawling locations from palatial French ballrooms to grim island fortresses.

What is The Count of Monte Cristo about?

The French-Italian production stars Claflin as Dantes, a man wrongfully imprisoned for treason. The site of his unlawful incarceration is the Château d’If, a wave-car

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