The Count of Monte Cristo 2025: Where to Watch, Episodes & More

Alexandre Dumas’ 1844 revenge epic keeps finding new audiences—and in 2026, PBS is giving it the prestige treatment it deserves. The new eight-episode miniseries stars Sam Claflin as Edmond Dantès and Jeremy Irons as the imprisoned mentor Abbé Faria, with the full run airing Sundays at 10/9c on PBS Masterpiece starting March 22, 2026. Here’s everything you need to know to watch it.

Stars: Sam Claflin, Jeremy Irons · Platform: PBS Masterpiece · Airing: Sundays at 10/9c · Episodes: 8

The table below consolidates essential production and broadcast details for quick reference.

Where can I watch the new Count of Monte Cristo 2025?

U.S. viewers have several options. The series airs on PBS Masterpiece every Sunday at 10/9c, with the broadcast premiere on March 22, 2026. If you subscribe to PBS Passport, all eight episodes have been available to stream on PBS.org and the PBS app since March 1, 2026—meaning Passport members can watch the entire miniseries ahead of broadcast. Additionally, PBS Masterpiece is available as a channel on Prime Video with a separate subscription.

Viewers who prefer to buy rather than subscribe can purchase episodes digitally on Amazon Video or the Apple TV Store, according to JustWatch streaming availability tracker, a streaming availability tracker. Currently, no free streaming options are listed in the U.S.

The availability picture differs significantly abroad. In the UK, all eight episodes stream free on Channel 4, allowing immediate binge-watching. Australian viewers can access the miniseries for free on SBS On Demand and SBS VICELAND. Canadian viewers, however, cannot currently stream the series. For those outside supported regions, Tom’s Guide recommends using a VPN such as NordVPN to access regional streaming services.

PBS Masterpiece airing schedule

Episodes air weekly on PBS, typically running one episode per Sunday evening. The March 22 premiere marks the start of this broadcast run, with subsequent episodes following each week through the conclusion of the eight-episode arc.

Streaming options

Beyond PBS Passport and Prime Video’s PBS Masterpiece channel, digital purchase remains the most flexible option for viewers without those subscriptions. Episode-by-episode purchase gives viewers control without committing to an ongoing subscription, though the per-episode cost adds up quickly compared to a full-season buy.

International availability

The UK and Australian options are notably generous—free, full-season streaming without geographic restrictions when accessing from those countries. This puts U.S. viewers at a disadvantage compared to audiences in those regions, who can start watching immediately without waiting for Passport eligibility or broadcast schedules.

How many episodes are in The Count of Monte Cristo 2025?

The miniseries spans eight episodes, each with a distinct title that signals where it falls in Dumas’ story. The first three episodes focus on Edmond’s journey from sailor to prisoner to escapee, while episodes four through eight trace his return to Paris as the Count of Monte Cristo, systematically exposing and ruining those who conspired against him.

The eight-episode format gives it far more room than most film adaptations, which means it can keep more of Dumas’ subplots and supporting characters in play, according to Tom’s Guide. This structural choice transforms what is often a rushed revenge tale in shorter formats into something that breathes and develops at a more natural pace.

Episode breakdown

The eight episodes are titled: “The Letter” (Edmond arrested on his wedding day), “The Castle” (Edmond befriends Abbé Faria), “The Treasure” (Edmond escapes and discovers the fortune), “The Red Room” (the Count arrives in Paris), “The Ball” (Haydée exposes Fernand’s betrayal), “Providence” (the Count manipulates Parisian society), “The Duel” (Albert challenges the Count after his father’s crimes are exposed), and “The Last Two” (final revenge, the poisoning plot unmasked, and reunion with Mercédès).

Runtime details

Based on similar prestige miniseries on PBS Masterpiece, each episode runs approximately 50 to 60 minutes, giving the full miniseries a runtime comparable to a feature film trilogy. This extended format is what allows the adaptation to preserve Dumas’ subplots.

Is The Count of Monte Cristo available on Netflix?

The miniseries is not currently available on Netflix. In the U.S., streaming is exclusive to PBS platforms—the PBS.org app for Passport subscribers, the PBS Masterpiece channel on Prime Video, and broadcast television. For purchase, episodes are available on Amazon Video and Apple TV Store.

Tom’s Guide confirms no Netflix involvement in distribution. JustWatch, which tracks streaming availability across platforms, lists only PBS-related options and digital purchase for U.S. viewers.

Current Netflix status

As of early 2026, Netflix has not added The Count of Monte Cristo to its catalog. The platform tends to license popular prestige dramas, but PBS Masterpiece content often remains with PBS’s own ecosystem. Viewers hoping for a Netflix option may need to wait for a future licensing deal or international rollout.

Alternative platforms

For viewers outside the U.S., the Channel 4 option in the UK and SBS On Demand in Australia represent significantly better value—both are free platforms. Using a VPN set to a UK or Australian server would provide access to the full series at no cost, though this requires technical setup.

Why was Count of Monte Cristo banned?

Dumas’ original novel faced significant censorship over the decades. The Catholic Church placed it on the Index of Forbidden Books in 1852, a ban that lasted until the Index was abolished in 1966. The novel’s themes—outright vengeance, critique of the justice system, and the moral complexity of its protagonist—bothered censors who preferred clearer moral distinctions.

In the United States, the book faced challenges from school boards and libraries. Its treatment of violence, perceived anti-religious sentiment, and romantic content brought it under scrutiny during periods of heightened censorship, though it has since become widely available in school curricula.

Historical Church ban

The Church’s objection centered on the novel’s portrayal of institutional corruption and its sympathetic treatment of a protagonist who takes justice into his own hands. Edmond Dantès operates outside legal and religious authority, and his success as a righteous avenger challenged the moral framework that Church authorities preferred to endorse.

Banned books context

The Count of Monte Cristo is among several classic works that have appeared on banned lists at various points, alongside titles like The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and The Grapes of Wrath. What makes Dumas’ novel particularly notable is that it has never gone out of print, even during periods of censorship—a testament to the story’s durability and its resonance with readers across generations.

What is the plot summary of The Count of Monte Cristo 2025?

The miniseries adapts Dumas’ epic tale of wrongful imprisonment and elaborate revenge. Edmond Dantès is a young sailor on the verge of marrying Mercédès when a conspiratorial letter—written by his former friend Fernand and fellow conspirators—lands him in prison on charges of treason. He spends fourteen years in the Château d’If, befriending the imprisoned priest Abbé Faria, who educates him and reveals the location of a vast treasure on the island of Monte Cristo.

After escaping, Edmond recovers the treasure and returns to Paris as the wealthy, mysterious Count of Monte Cristo. His enemies—Fernand, who married Mercédès and built a fortune through Edmond’s ruination; Danglars, the jealous colleague who wrote the original letter; and Villefort, the prosecutor who buried the case—have risen to prominence in Parisian society. The Count systematically dismantles their positions, though his pursuit of revenge comes at a cost to his own humanity and to innocent people caught in the crossfire.

Key story elements

The story’s engine is a simple injustice—a good man destroyed by jealousy and conspiracy—but Dumas unfolds it across thousands of pages of intricate plotting, character development, and social commentary. The miniseries format captures much of this complexity: the early episodes trace Edmond’s downfall and imprisonment, the middle episodes show his transformation and return, and the final episodes deliver the reckoning while asking whether revenge truly brings peace.

2025 adaptation differences

Compared to previous screen adaptations, the 2025 miniseries benefits from extended runtime. The eight-episode structure preserves subplots involving secondary characters—Haydée’s testimony against Fernand, the Noirtier subplot, Villefort’s family secrets—that typically get cut in feature-length adaptations. This makes the series more complete than earlier versions, though it requires more viewer commitment.

The 2025 adaptation gives viewers something increasingly rare in the streaming era: a complete, self-contained story with a beginning, middle, and end that respects the source material’s ambition. For viewers who’ve been waiting for a miniseries that does justice to Dumas’ sprawling narrative, PBS has delivered.

The implication: this is the most complete screen adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo in decades, but accessing it requires either a PBS Passport subscription, a Prime Video add-on, or patience for weekly broadcasts. For U.S. viewers without those options, digital purchase remains the fallback—though at per-episode prices, the cost rivals a streaming subscription.

What this means for you: if you want to watch all episodes immediately, PBS Passport is the key. If you’re outside the U.S., a VPN connected to the UK or Australia unlocks free streaming. Canadian viewers are stuck waiting or paying premium digital prices for now.