Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne

“They don’t behead rich people anymore,” he teases a flummoxed Fogg, during a series of events that ends with Passepartout witnessing Gerard, and his fellow insurrectionists, killed in what amounts to a blaze of glory. Flyers that read “Freedom! The day of glory has arrived!” flutter about, as mass protests, which Passepartout’s idealistic brother Gerard (Loic Djani) is part of, consume the city. It’s the first episode and France is the backdrop, amid the discontent of a growing working class, years after Jean Valjean was swept into the 1832 Paris Uprising. And while PBS’ iteration foregrounds class warfare in an early setpiece, it does absolutely nothing with the prompt afterward. The Michael Anderson-directed 1956 film starring David Niven and Cantinflas - the most accomplished of all the novel’s adaptations, winning five Academy Awards, including Best Picture, even if its legacy has faded over time - at least attempted to satirize the rich, despite its reliance on stereotypes. Yet this adaptation fails to reassess themes ripe for reimagining, nor is it structurally or stylistically original.

The rules are esoteric, and indeed, it’s a game that’s historically been great story fodder, and how the winner is decided is usually more interesting than who wins. Sometimes, the consequences are wide-reaching, even if coincidental, and may or may not benefit the greater good. It’s an adventure prompted by a timeless theme: men and the quintessential sources of many pissing contests - ego and money. He sets out with his French manservant Jean Passepartout (Ibrahim Koma) and Fortescue’s daughter, Abigail “Fix” Fortescue (Leonie Benesch), to win the wager. It’s England in the late-1800s, and the three men are Bernard Fortescue (Jason Watkins), Nyle Bellamy (Peter Sullivan), and Phileas Fogg ( David Tennant), the story’s main protagonist, who makes a wager of £20,000 ($3 million today) that he can circumnavigate the world in 80 days or less. 'Abbott Elementary' Review: Quinta Brunson's Schoolhouse Sitcom on ABC Is Hilariously Sharp 'The Cleaning Lady' Review: Cliché Dirties Up Elodie Yung's Confident Portrayal It’s not Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Richard Branson, and the new space race, but can you spy the subtle parallels? PBS’ version opens with three Englishmen of obvious privilege in conversation around a table in a members-only men’s club, wagering whether the pre-passenger-flight-era feat of human ambition and technological marvel implied in the title is achievable.

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne