The Count of Monte Cristo Episode 1: The Letter (PBS Masterpiece)
We’re kicking off our episode-by-episode review of The Count of Monte Cristo on Masterpiece on PBS – and yes, we know this is not Hallmark, but when our listeners ask, we deliver. This sweeping mini-series follows Edmond Dantès, a young sailor whose life is destroyed by betrayal, sending him down a long road toward revenge. If you’re new here from PBS or just curious aboutThe Count of Monte Cristo, welcome – we’re Girls Gone Hallmark, where we usually cover Hallmark Channel movies (with a little sass from a long time fan and a former hater), but today we’re diving into prestige period drama… the only way we know how.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2026) premiered on Sunday, March 22, 2026 on MASTERPIECE on PBS. The full series is available to stream immediately on the PBS app, PBS Passport, and PBS MASTERPIECE on Prime Video as of March 1, 2026.
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Listen to Girls Gone Hallmark’s Review of The Count of Monte Cristo (Masterpiece on PBS – 2026)
Revenge may take years, but our recaps drop right on time – don’t miss our The Count of Monte Cristo reviews every Thursday.
Cast and Crew of The Count of Monte Cristo Miniseries
- Billie August directed all eight episodes of this mini series. Billie is a Danish screenwriter, cinematographer and director with 34 previous directing credits. He directed the 1998 version of Les Miserables and is currently in pre-production on Julius Caesar.
- This series is based on the novel by Alexandre Dumas.
- Greg Latter and Sandro Petraglia wrote all eight episodes of the mini series.
- Greg has written on a number of projects that were directed by Billie August including Goodbye Bafana and the upcoming Julius Caesar and Me, You.
- Sandro is an Italian writer with a long resume of Italian screenplay credits
- Sam Claflin plays Edmond Dantes. Sam is currently filming Ebenezer: A Christmas Carol and his 37 acting credits include his role as Billy Donne in the television adaptation of Daisy Jones and the Six.
- Mikkel Boe Folsgaard plays Gerard Villefort. Mikkel is a Danish actor with, quite frankly, a long list of Danish acting credits including the original Department Q – the adaptation of the novel The Keeper of Lost Causes.
- Ana Giradot plays Mercedes. Ana is a French actress with 54 credits. She’s currently filming Rallye 82 where she plays car racing legend Michele Mouton
- Blake Ritson plays Danglars. Among Blake’s 86 acting credits are his roles in The Gilded Age and The Crown. He also does a ton of voice work.
- Harry Taurasi plays Fernand. Harry’s additional acting credits include the movie Napoleon, and the series Midsomer Murders.
- Jason Barnett plays Caderousse. Jason has 50 acting credits including season one of Bridgerton.
- Roger Sloman plays Edmond’s Father Louis. Roger has 150 acting credits and will turn 90 this year. Roger is best known for his roles in Mr. Bean and the film Nuts in May.
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