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Masterpiece
Wednesdays evenings (check listings)
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It's the Sunday night trumpet call: Ba da da da da da dadadadada dum de dum de dum: here come the Brits, here comes the costume drama, here comes juicy literary storylines, the fabulous acting, the luscious sets. With exclusive support from Mobil, the anthology series Masterpiece Theatre was first launched by WGBH in 1971 and has presented hundreds of highly acclaimed British dramas. According to Wikipedia, adaptations aired on Masterpiece Theatre have won 40 Emmys (33 for Primetime, seven for International), 15 Peabody awards, and two Academy Award nominations. For many, Masterpiece Theatre has, for nearly forty years now, been synonymous with PBS quality.
While for decades the show had a host — first Alistair Cooke and then Russell Baker — since 2004, it's gone without, except in March 2007, when Derek Jacobi, star of one of the program's earliest successes (I, Claudius) hosted The Best of Masterpiece Theatre.
In January 2008, Masterpiece Theatre introduced a new look, a fresh take on the series' famous theme music and a new schedule that breaks the year into three "seasons," each with its own host. In winter and spring, Masterpiece Classic now features signature period dramas and is hosted by Bleak House star Gillian Anderson. In summer, Masterpiece Mystery! presents the best British mysteries. In the fall, Masterpiece Contemporary showa dramas set in modern times.
What are some of the most famous dramas that Masterpiece Theatre has brought to the American small screen?
- Elizabeth R, starring Glenda Jackson, a dramatization of the life of Queen Elizabeth I. (1971)
- I, Claudius, starring Derek Jacobi, the memoirs of Roman emperor Claudius of the first century A.D. (1976)
- A Town Like Alice, a story set in the outback of Australia during World War II. (1981)
- The Flame Trees of Thika, set on a coffee plantation in Kenya just before World War I. (1981)
- The Jewel in the Crown, the story of an unjust arrest for rape set against the sunset of the British Raj. (1984)
- The Fortunes and Misfortunes of Moll Flanders, based on Daniel Defoe's racy novel. (1996)
- The Forsyte Saga, the three-generation family scandal drama to end all family scandal dramas. (2002)
- Bleak House, based on Charles Dickens' story of injustices in the British legal system, starring Gillian Anderson. (2005)
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