There’s a new murder mystery series coming to Masterpiece, and this one is a contemporary adaptation of Georges Simenon’s legendary Parisian Chief Inspector, Jules Maigret.
The series, aptly titled Maigret, has started production in Budapest. It comes from Patrick Harbinson (Homeland, 24, The Tower), who serves as lead writer and will direct the first two episodes.
Simenon’s Maigret is an icon in the murder mystery space. The author penned 75 novels and 28 short stories starting in 1930, making it second only to Sherlock Holmes in terms of sales. The stories center on Chief Inspector Jules Maigret, who lived and worked in Paris and solved crimes by understanding people’s motivations.
This adaptation, according to Masterpiece, “reframes Maigret as an unconventional young detective with something to prove, a rising star in the Police Judiciaire, relentless in his investigations, with an uncanny ability to get under the skin of the criminals he is chasing and a matchless knowledge of Paris and its inhabitants. Faithfully and lovingly married to Madame Maigret, Maigret heads the elite police unit known as La Crim, responsible for investigating all serious crime in and around Paris.”
Jules Maigret will be played by Benjamin Wainwright (pictured above, whose credits include Belgravia: The Next Chapter and Lord of the Rings: War of the Rohirrim), with Stefanie Martini (The Gold, Last Kingdom, Emerald City) starring as Madame Louise Maigret. The “Les Maigrets,” the Chief Inspector’s loyal cohorts, are played by Blake Harrison (World on Fire, I Hate Suzie Too), Reda Elazouar (Sex Education, Pirates), Kerrie Hayes (The Responder, Criminal Record), Shaniqua Okwok (The Flatshare, It’s a Sin), and Rob Kazinsky (Star Trek: Section 31, Eastenders). Nathalie Armin (Showtrial S2, Juice) is taking on the role of Prosecutor Mathilde Kernavel.
“Maigret will be a perfect addition to Masterpiece’s line up of Mystery! Shows,” Susanne Simpson, Masterpiece’s Head of Scripted Content said in a statement. “Our partners at Playground have assembled an incredible cast and creative team, and our audience is going to love Inspector Maigret and his unique style of crime solving.”
No news yet on when the series will premiere on Masterpiece.
