Right now, PBS Masterpiece's streaming library holds three Agatha Christie films worth catching, plus the complete "Downton Abbey" series — the movies aren't included. The two newest arrivals, "Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar" and "Agatha and the Truth of Murder," sit alongside a decades-old adaptation of one of Christie's own novels, all available on the PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel. This month's new premieres on the service are television series rather than standalone films, so anyone searching specifically for movies should know what's actually there before subscribing. Here's the full rundown of what qualifies as a movie on PBS Masterpiece this month, what's arriving as series instead, and how to actually watch any of it.
Table of Contents
- Three Agatha Christie Films Streaming Now
- A Classic Adaptation Still Worth Catching
- What's New This Month Is Mostly Series, Not Films
- Downton Abbey Is Streaming in Full — But Not the Films
- How to Watch — Passport, the Channel, and the Cost
- Frequently Asked Questions
Three Agatha Christie Films Streaming Now
"Agatha and the Curse of Ishtar" (2019) dramatizes a real trip the mystery novelist took in 1928, when she traveled to Baghdad and met the archaeologist Max Mallowan, who later became her second husband. The film is currently listed as streaming on the PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel. "Agatha and the Truth of Murder" (2018) is set two years earlier, in 1926, and imagines Christie investigating a real unsolved killing.
The setup follows her public accusation of staging her own famous disappearance, and the film has her working to clear her name by solving an actual case. It's also currently available on the PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel. Both films take a biographical angle on Christie rather than adapting one of her novels directly, which makes them a useful pair for anyone who wants the author's own life story told through a mystery format. Watching them back to back also makes the two-year jump between the events they depict easy to follow.
A Classic Adaptation Still Worth Catching
For a more traditional Christie adaptation, "Agatha Christie's Seven Dials Mystery" is a 1981 television movie based on her 1929 novel of the same name. It's currently streaming on the PBS Masterpiece channel alongside BritBox and Acorn TV, according to JustWatch listings.
Because it predates the two newer biographical films by nearly four decades, it offers a different texture — a period production actually adapting Christie's prose rather than reconstructing her biography. Anyone working through the service's Christie catalog should treat it as the odd one out: the only title here drawn straight from a novel rather than from the author's life.
What's New This Month Is Mostly Series, Not Films
Readers hunting specifically for movies should know that PBS Masterpiece's biggest premieres this month aren't films at all. "The Gold" Season 2 and "Maigret" Season 2 both debut on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel on Sunday, October 18, 2026, per a Yahoo Entertainment roundup of the month's lineup.
There's also "Marble Hall Murders," the third mystery in the Susan Ryeland series that began with "Magpie Murders" and "Moonflower Murders." It's a six-episode limited series rather than a single film, and it premiered September 6, 2026, with all episodes now streaming in full, according to KPBS. None of these three titles count as movies in the traditional sense, but they're worth knowing about if a "best of" search turned them up. Anyone specifically wanting the film format should stick to the three Christie titles above rather than expecting a standalone movie from this month's new releases.
Downton Abbey Is Streaming in Full — But Not the Films
All six seasons of the "Downton Abbey" television series became available in full on both PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel starting March 1, 2026, ahead of a broadcast re-run of the show that year, according to coverage from PBS station WPBS. That's the series, not the films — a distinction that matters because the two are easy to conflate.
The three theatrical "Downton Abbey" movies — "Downton Abbey," "A New Era," and "The Grand Finale" — are not part of the PBS Masterpiece lineup. "The Grand Finale" streams exclusively on Peacock before later moving to Prime Video as a rental, per reporting from Soap Central. Anyone wanting the "Downton Abbey" films specifically will need to look to Peacock or a rental platform rather than PBS Masterpiece.
How to Watch — Passport, the Channel, and the Cost
Access to these titles runs through one of two paths: a PBS Passport membership, unlocked through a donation to a local PBS station, or the standalone PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel, which is a separate add-on subscription on Amazon. The Prime Video Channel has historically carried a price of $5.99 per month after a seven-day free trial, though that figure is several years old and worth confirming directly in the app before signing up, per reporting from The Hollywood Reporter.
Because the three Christie films and the "Downton Abbey" series are listed through the Amazon channel specifically, a Prime Video account is the most direct route to all of them in one place. A Passport membership through a local station can offer overlapping access depending on what that station has licensed, so checking both options before paying for either is worth the few minutes it takes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is "Marble Hall Murders" a movie on PBS Masterpiece?
No. It's a six-episode limited series that premiered September 6, 2026, and is now streaming in full, not a standalone film.
Can I watch the "Downton Abbey" movies on PBS Masterpiece?
No. Only the six-season television series streams there. The three theatrical films stream on Peacock, with "The Grand Finale" later moving to a Prime Video rental.
Do I need Amazon Prime to watch these PBS Masterpiece titles?
The three Christie films and "Downton Abbey" are listed through the PBS Masterpiece Amazon Channel, so a Prime Video account is the most direct way to reach them, though a PBS Passport membership through a local station may offer overlapping access.