The 'Maigret' Trailer Introduces PBS's Newest Detective

Masterpiece has now lasted long enough as an entity that it has a catalog of old shows that once ran on PBS to work from and revive, such as Poldark (the original 1970s version aired on Masterpiece Theater) and All Creatures Great & Small (the original aired on PBS, but not under the Masterpiece banner). Maigret didn't last nearly as long as either of those; the adaptation that came to Masterpiece was the Michael Gambon-starring version from the 1990s, which only ran two seasons. However, the series has been adapted enough in both Europe and the U.K. that a reboot was kind of a no-brainer.

However, unlike all those older versions, the new Masterpiece-produced series is going to break with tradition. Some of the decisions are simply from changing the setting — instead of a 1960-era period piece, the series has been updated to the 2020s. However, other decisions, like the choice to cast the extremely handsome Benjamin Wainwright (Belgravia) instead of Simeon's "large, powerfully built gentleman", with "a pipe, a bowler hat, [and] a thick overcoat" are purely made to appeal to modern audiences. No one is looking for middle-aged, pudgy detectives who survived a war or two in 2025.

The result is a series that lacks its trademark signatures, making it somewhat difficult to distinguish from other reboots, such as Van der Valk. Hopefully, as the first season progresses and this new adaptation puts its stamp on the novels, it will find a new signature look to work with.