Spoiler alert: major spoilers for the book and film adaptation of The Thursday Murder Club follow.
The Wednesday/ Thursday Murder Club is heading to Netflix with a starry lineup and a faithful-but-tweaked take on Richard Osman’s beloved cozy mystery. Helen Mirren, Pierce Brosnan, Ben Kingsley and Celia Imrie headline the quartet at the heart of Cooper’s Chase, a seniors’ village where four armchair detectives turn their attention to a murder that lands in their own backyard.
Key details
– Cast and tone: Mirren as Elizabeth, Imrie as Joyce, Kingsley as Ibrahim and Brosnan as Ron deliver a warmly entertaining dynamic. The film leans into the books’ humor and charm, with the four delivering a light, witty cadence even as they chase darker twists.
– Plot core: The four friends tackle three murders—the cases of Tony Curran and Ian Ventham at Cooper’s Chase, and a set of unmarked bones found in the cemetery. The film stays true to the core twist that drives the revelation at the end.
What’s different from the book
– The villains and motive: In the book, the crimes connect to a drug-dealing gang involving Tony, Jason Ritchie, Bobby Tanner and Turkish Johnny/Gianni, with travels to Cyprus and a more expansive criminal network. The film trims this and focuses the crime more tightly around immigration-related extortion and labor trafficking, with Bogdan as the lead builder and murderer who confronts Tony over stolen passports.
– Jason and the drug tie-ins: The book layers Jason with drug dealings; in the film, his role is pared back. He’s not deeply enmeshed in the drug operation, and a scene where he’s arrested over Ian’s murder does not appear as it does in the book.
– Father Mackie and backstories: Father Mackie’s heavier backstory—revealing he’s a former doctor in a tragic love affair with a nun and the cemetery concerns—gets largely cut for time. Other supporting characters with richer storylines in the novel (Gordon and Karen Playfair, Bernard’s arc, Patrice) are also trimmed or omitted from the film.
– Ending trajectory: The big twist remains intact. Penny and her husband John are revealed to be behind a long-simmering set of killings. John killed Ian to derail the excavation before the bones could be found, but Bogdan digs them up anyway, keeping the case alive for the Thursday Murder Club.
What stays the same
– The quartet’s core chemistry and the village-setting feel faithful to the book’s spirit.
– The central mystery’s emotional punch and the reveal that links decades of secrets to the present-day murders.
– The sense that the bone discovery in the cemetery is the linchpin of the mystery.
Why these changes make sense
– Pacing and platform fit: The film trims sprawling drug-crime subplots and backstories to maintain a tight two-hour runtime while preserving the essential twists, humor and character dynamics.
– Focus on immediacy: By keeping the action closer to Cooper’s Chase, the film emphasizes the community’s collective involvement and the “old friends solving crimes” vibe that fans love.
Summary
The Thursday Murder Club on Netflix offers a warmly entertaining adaptation that stays true to the books’ spirit and the final twist while streamlining backstories and shifting some plot elements to keep the pace brisk. The quartet’s chemistry and the humor remain the standout attractions, with the ending maintaining the dramatic revelation that Penny and John are the culprits behind the era-spanning murders.
New novel tease
The film sets the stage for Osman’s next installment, The Impossible Fortune, due out September 30, continuing the adventures of Cooper’s Chase and its four resident sleuths.
Commentary and value add
– For readers new to the series, the film serves as a welcoming entry point to Osman’s world, highlighting the warmth, wit and character-driven mystery that define the books.
– For longtime fans, the changes provide a fresh cinematic take while preserving the core twist and the beloved ensemble. Expect lively banter, charming performances, and a satisfying, if concise, crime-solving arc.
– If you’re curious about what might come next on screen, the upcoming novel could offer new threads to explore in future adaptations, especially around how the village handles post-case life and new investigations.
Hopeful note
Fans can look forward to a polished screen experience that honors the source material’s heart—elderly sleuths, a small-town setting and a cleverly plotted mystery—while inviting broader audiences to enjoy the genre’s warmth and wit.