How can one fail yet another Christie Adaptations? They are always perfectly made, acted, the production tricks you into believing you woke up at that time, people are gorgeous, and yes, you feel a bit silly in the end, but only to recognize Agatha's mastery hasn't aged a bit.
This TV series doesn't respect the time-honoured formula. Sharing part of the stellar cast of "Petits meurtres en famille" (2006), it indulges in the same idiosyncrasies. Basically, by "adapting" the plot to the XXI century's sensibilities, making Poirot more "humane", Lampion gay, and basically altering the plot so much yes, it's still Christie, the murderer is the same but... the essence is gone. Larosière is well cast, big husky voice, screen presence, but he's made to act foolish scenes, like when he's drunk or chasing women (very much unlike him :)). Lampion is a bit of a teenager and clumsy to my taste, like if it were an Eddie Murphy buddy cop film. André Custe, the main character, is really perfect, he's what has to be. A soul in pain. Chloé Stefani's Lili Daste, from "Jeanne Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour", is too nice for Custe, but well, we can assume she was chosen like that for counter balancing all the hideousness and making sure we empathized a bit with him. Mme Daste is fun in her small character of the grouchy uncouth mum :). Duval's brazenness and bravado come off naturally. The well known Jean-François Garreaud, from many TV series like "Plus belle la vie" and also acting in "Jeanne Poisson", is there for a reason, although his character is rather silent. And yes, Sophie is beautiful. The rest of the cast is fine, and it's interesting to see how crime investigations were not so far in the past, before CSI and the like made us forget.
Can be missed without loosing much. Maybe the beautiful scenery, which really looks like if time hadn't passed, and Christie were still Christie :).