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. ‘Succession’ Review: Episode 7 Fireworks Turn a ‘Tailgate Party’ Into Scorched Earth 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. Any new take on Vernes’ classic, even after taking into account that 2022 marks the 150th anniversary of its original publishing, ought to be as adventurous and inventive as the story that inspired it. Under those terms, given the eight-episode end product that premieres tonight on PBS, there’s little explanation for this new adaptation of “ Around the World in 80 Days,” Jules Vernes’ most adapted work (across television, film, theatre, gaming, and radio).

If any new trends catch on in 2022, one should insist on every film or television series justifying its existence beyond its potential to make a profit - especially when it comes to adaptations of IP previously adapted in multitudes.

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