Towards Zero Is Glamorous, Gorgeous And Sneakily Sexy — Here Are 5 Reasons To Check Out BritBox's New Agatha Christie Series
Growing up, whenever I heard the name Agatha Christie, it was generally because our family's TV was tuned to PBS. And while what I'm about to say is in no way fair to the famed mystery writer's rich oeuvre, nor its wide and varied body of television adaptations, it's true: I pretty much associated the author's name with stuffy-seeming men with signature mustaches, looking intrigued.
Case in point:
Towards Zero, an Agatha Christie adaptation that started streaming on BritBox this week, is something very different — and it grabbed me, hard. The story is set in the 1930s and centers on a British tennis ace, his ex-wife and his new wife, all of whom decide to spend a summer together at a lavish coastal estate. Are we surprised someone dies?
Read on for the biggest reasons you're going to want to dive into this mystery limited series ASAP.
THE CAST
Oliver Jackson-Cohen (The Haunting of Hill House, The Haunting of Bly Manor) plays Nevile Strange, the aforementioned tennis star. As the series opens, he's embroiled in a highly public, very salacious divorce from his wife, Audrey (played by Ella Lily Hyland, Black Doves). It's no spoiler to say that the case eventually is settled, and the Stranges part ways. He goes on to marry Kay (Mimi Keene, Sex Education), a hot ticket who seems like the polar opposite of Audrey. Through equal parts coincidence and cajoling, all three end up at the manor where both Audrey and Neville grew up. (They were childhood sweethearts, she was a ward of the family, they're not releated, it's an old-timey British thing, just go with it.)
The cast also includes Matthew Rhys (The Americans), Anjana Vasan (Black Mirror), Clarke Peters (Person of Interest) and Anjelica Huston (Smash). More later on The Artist Formerly Known as Eileen Rand.
THE LENGTH
Towards Zero consists of three one-hour episodes. We love a concise binge!
THE LOOK
In a word: stunning. From Sam Yates' direction to Laura Bellingham's cinematography to Charlotte Mitchell's costume design, Towards Zero is a feast for the eyes. Come for the lingering glamour shots of Keene and Hyland, resplendent in their 1930s finery, stay for the hypnotic overhead shots of the rocky coast off Gull's Point. Well, and, for the next item on my list, which is...
THE SEX
While I was making my way through Towards Zero, I told a co-worker, "This show is hot but in a very reserved, buttoned-up way." And then I got to Episode 2, and had to revise the second part of my thesis. There is Jackson-Cohen, there is Hyland in a slinky dress, and there is a staircase on which Things Happen. Go with God.
THE MATRIARCH
Nevile's aunt, Lady Tressilian, is a widow who voluntarily confines herself to her bedroom and still has all those young, hot people doing as she says — mainly because she's played by Huston, who is a force of nature who leaves no crumbs as the haughty matriarch. (It may also be because Lady T is revising her will, but we're sticking with our first impression.)
All three episodes of Toward Zero are now streaming on BritBox. Press PLAY on the video above to watch Jackson-Cohen and Hyland talk about shooting all of their show's lingering gazes (there's an art to it!), then hit the comments with your thoughts: Have you watched? Are you planning to?