When most of us think of PBS series, our minds go to what is actually under the Masterpiece banner. What public broadcasting has provided in terms of educational and entertainment content over this last half-century is absolutely astonishing. Furnished by a miniaturist, every new piece that Nella is given seems to predict some new tragedy within the house, which is full of secrets—not all of which find a satisfying ending. If you aren’t already supporting your local PBS station, why not? Amnesia? —Mark Rozeman and Allison Keene, Created by: John Brownlow Stars: Anya Taylor-Joy, Romola Garai, Alex Hassell, Hayley Squires, Paapa Essiedu, The Miniaturist is not a horror series, but it is certainly spooky and not without a few jump scares that augment its dramatic reveals. And you will be the one urging people to get past the strange names of the title (which will no longer be strange to you) and give this wonderful show a chance. Watch on HBO Max, Kenneth Branagh is marvelous in this moody procedural based on the novels of Henning Mankell, and the original Swedish film adaptations. Maybe that’s why Rachael New’s PBS mystery series, “Miss Scarlet and the Duke” feels so charming, because Being Feminist (capitalization intended) isn’t what it sets its focus on. Gentle but determined, she works tirelessly to care for her father in debtors prison. This 2018 retelling of the novel—which many people familiar with the story through the stage musical and its screen adaptations may not have actually read—is brought to you by Masterpiece, and it lives up to the name. So it holds that Grantchester—a story about a murder mystery-solving vicar—would itself be grand. Thankfully, now, it’s just Masterpiece. In 1980, Mystery! —Amanda Schurr, Created by: Heidi Thomas Stars: Ed Stoppard, Keeley Hawes, Eileen Atkins, Claire Foy, Alex Kingston, Jean Marsh, Anne Reid, Adrian Acarborough, The original Upstairs, Downstairs is one of the most beloved series in Masterpiece history, so it makes sense that someone would eventually try to remake it. The show truly blossoms in its second season, and continues from there to be an emotional and surprisingly cozy portrayal of the royal household, the people it employs, and a nation Victoria and Albert seek to modernize. Both are unique in their own ways, especially in how the show allows Victoria and Albert to settle into both domestic bliss and the natural scuffles all couples face (augmented, of course, by their positions). Initially, Masterpiece Classic aired in the winter and early spring, Masterpiece Mystery! Fun mystery/crime show with a crew of handpicked detectives forming a special mystery-solving [cold case] unit; in tenth series and still going [as of 08/13]. PBS American Portrait (January 5, 2021) When Disaster Strikes (January 6, 2021) The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song (February 16, 2021) Hemingway (April 5, 2021) Former programming Original programming And/or, you can choose to pay for the Britbox add on (additional $6.99/month) for access to still another great list of BBC shows. It gives you an expanded version of what you currently see on PBS, including full seasons of your favorite shows before they have aired weekly. As charming as Garai is (and as fantastically neurotic Michael Gambon is as Mr. Woodhouse), there’s nothing particularly revolutionary about this steady and staid adaptation. —Amanda Schurr, Created by: Andrew Davies Stars: Claire Foy, Matthew Macfadyen, Ton Courtenay, Andy Serkis, Eddie Marsan, Arthur Darvill, Most people discovered the exceptional talent of Claire Foy while watching The Crown, but those who watched the 2008 miniseries Little Dorrit (part of the BBC’s well-received run of adapting some lesser-known Dickens works by Andrew Davies) had an early heads-up. There’s nothing supernatural or world-ending, there’s no excessive violence or gruesome horror. In the summer of 1995, Mobil announced that it would stop funding Mystery! It is also thoroughly middle-class, a group of people Downton never really deigned to discuss. Like any grand Dickensian tale, Little Dorrit is a deeply emotional story full of labyrinthine twists. There’s something to be said for a complete, stand-alone tale, yet viewed collectively, Suchet’s thorough ownership of the dapper detective—all 25 years of it—is all the more impressive, so immersed is he in Christie’s world. If you have never experienced a Lucy Worsley history documentary well, get ready for full immersion (and eventually, obsession). Series such as Upstairs Downstairs, I Claudius and Poldark would go on to define the early years while, more recently, series the likes of Prime Suspect, Inspector Morse, Poirot, Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Victoria, Endeavour and Grantchester would provide new audiences with an entry point to quality British drama. The film's story line is taken from a work of detective fiction by Agatha Christie, first published in the UK in September 1934 and in the United States in … —Amanda Schurr, Created by: Paul Rutman Stars: Henry Lloyd-Hughes, Nikesh Patel, Julie Walters, Jemima West, Olivia Grant, Aysha Kala, The best thing about Indian Summers is that it presents something totally different than the typical Masterpiece fare. Masterpiece is aired as three different series. Based on the popular novel by Evelyn Waugh, when middle-class freshman and aspiring artist Charles (Irons) arrives to Oxford, he is befriended by the rich, spoiled party boy Sebastian (Anthony Andrews) who soon falls in love with Charles and introduces him to his severely dysfunctional upper-class family living in the grand estate of Brideshead. Sally Wainwright’s series can take soapy twists and turns, but it’s always anchored by outstanding performances from the four leads and a cozy sense of home (home meaning either the posh side of the family or the farmer side, depending). To put it another way: In Prime Suspect, Mirren delivers one of the most brilliant, influential performances in the history of the medium. As they decipher the clues and patterns, the ladies must juggle their sleuthing efforts with their newly civilian lives—to avoid suspicion, de facto leader Susan (Anna Maxwell Martin) and co. tell their husbands they’re in a book club. © 2021 Paste Media Group. And indeed, in this 2009 version starring Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller hits all of the right notes. . Series. Starring heartthrob Theo James as Sidney Parker and the beautiful Rose Williams as Charlotte Heyward, fans of Austen get to see Andrew Davies’ perception of how things end. Wallander is a study in visual contrasts: saturated color schemes, dramatic plays of shadows and light, extreme changes in focus. Taking place in the twilight of the British Raj circa 1932, Indian Summers is (thankfully) not sympathetic or nostalgic for this fraught time in history. See more ideas about midsomer murders, british tv, pbs. —Tim Basham, Created by: Bill Gallagher Stars: Joanna Vanderham, Peter Wight, Emun Elliott, Matthew McNulty, David Hayman, Sarah Lancashire, Sonya Cassidy, Describing The Paradise as Downton Abbey in a department store might be a shade oversimplifying, but that’s often what this “veddy proper,” occasionally beguiling melodrama about the rich and the help calls to mind. https://www.catalogs.com/library/top-10-pbs-masterpiece-theater-series —Bonnie Stiernberg, Created by: Chris Lang Stars: Nicola Walker, Sanjeev Bhaskar, In the compelling modern crime series Unforgotten, DCI Cassie Stuart (an always-excellent and recently ubiquitous Nicola Walker) and DI Sunny Khan (Sanjeev Bhaskar) doggedly pursue cold case murders and disappearances. —Allison Keene, Created by: Andrew Davies Stars: Jeremy Piven, Frances O’Connor, Aisling Loftus, Ron Cook, Tom Goodman-Hill, Amanda Abbington, Amy Beth Hayes, Watch on Amazon via Masterpiece Though this round at 165 Eaton Place is positively bursting with soapy drama—scandals, intra-family affairs, and even a Nazi spy in the household—most of the characters are fairly unsympathetic and difficult to like. logo, courtesy PBS Worricker: The Complete Series DVD & Blu-ray,Bill Nighy (Love Actually ) is world-weary,scrupulous MI5 spy Johnny Worricker in threegripping films seen on Masterpiece . It’s a great watch no matter what category it falls into. Anchored by outstanding performances, the series shines in its quiet moments of personal fortitude and in confronting one’s own biases in endlessly intriguing ways. years!) For those returning to the series, you will be greeted with all of the easy-going, low-key, and whimsical touchstones that have made the show so good over the years. Its underwritten series Masterpiece Theater and Mystery! Those have, over the years, mostly been part of Masterpiece Theater, Masterpiece Classic, Masterpiece Mystery, and Masterpiece Contemporary. —Allison Keene, Created by: Sally Wainwright Stars: Derek Jacobi, Anne Reid, Sarah Lancashire, Nicola Walker, On the surface, Last Tango in Halifax looks like a sweet but slight story of two British widowers who knew each other in childhood and who find each other again to rekindle a lost love.