'The Thursday Murder Club' Will Be On the Case in August

Little old ladies solving crimes in the village have been a staple of British television since time immemorial, from Agatha Christie's iconic Miss Marple to more recent examples like Mrs. Sidhu Investigates, Harry Wild, and The Marlow Murder Club. But with the global success of series like Only Murders in the Building and A Man on the Inside, it seems like the larger entertainment world is only just now starting to really understand the fun that can be had in giving random pensioners free rein to investigate murders in their twilight years. 

The latest star-studded entry in this trend is the forthcoming adaptation of British author Richard Osman's best-selling debut novel, The Thursday Murder Club, set to premiere on Netflix this August. It follows the story of a group of friends in a charming retirement home who, like so many of us, are not-so-secret true crime junkies. But their weekly meetings to discuss cold cases take a decidedly all-too-real turn when a local property developer turns up dead, and they decide to take the investigation into his murder into their own hands. The series is a bestseller in the U.K., with the fifth installment set to be published in September 2025, giving Netflix ready-made sequels.

The film boasts an all-star cast; after all, the whole point of projects like these is to cast as many big-name actors of a certain age as possible. The primary quartet of crime solvers includes Helen Mirren (1923) as ex-spy Elizabeth Best, Ben Kingsley (The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar) as retired psychiatrist Dr. Ibrahim Arif, Pierce Brosnan (MobLand) as one-time union activist Ron Ritchie, and Celia Imrie (The Diplomat) as former nurse Joyce Meadowcroft. 

Here's the film's synopsis. 

Based on Richard Osman’s international bestselling novel of the same name, The Thursday Murder Club follows four irrepressible retirees — Elizabeth, Ron, Ibrahim, and Joyce — who spend their time solving cold case murders for fun. When an unexplained death occurs on their own doorstep, their casual sleuthing takes a thrilling turn as they find themselves with a real whodunit on their hands. 

Alongside the film's leading quartet of crime solvers, the star-studded ensemble cast includes Jonathan Pryce (The Crown) as Elizabeth's husband, Stephen Best; Tom Ellis (Agatha Christie's Poirot), as Ron's son, Jason Ritchie; and Ingrid Oliver (Doctor Who) as Joyce's daughter, Joanna Meadowcroft. Naomi Ackie (2073) co-stars as local cop PC Donna De Freitas, with Sarah Niles (Ted Lasso) as her mother.

David Tennant (Rivals) guest stars as the owner of the pensioner village, Ian Ventham, and Henry Lloyd-Hughes (We Were the Lucky Ones) as the club's assistant, Bogdan Jankowski. Richard E. Grant (Saltburn), Daniel Mays (Moonflower Murders), Paul Freeman (The Man Who Fell to Earth), and Geoff Bell (Whitstable Pearl) round out the supporting cast.

The film is directed by Chris Columbus (Harry Potter) and written by Suzanne Heathcote (Killing Eve) and Katy Brand (Good Luck to You, Leo Grande). Executive producers include Osman, Jo Burn, Eleanor Columbus, Holly Bario, and Jeb Brody, with Columbus and Jennifer Todd serving as producers.

The Thursday Murder Club will premiere on Netflix on Thursday, August 28, 2025. The fifth book in the series, The Impossible Fortune, is scheduled to arrive on shelves in September 2025.