Downplay the popularity of period costume dramas, which “Masterpiece” ushered into the American programming mix, at your own peril. That would seem daunting when it comes to ethnic diversity, given that the series’ period dramas traditionally skew white, but she said it can and is being done. Use one of the services below to sign in to PBS: You've just tried to add this video to My List. One of the most popular drama series in TV history -- Bringing you the best in classic adaptations, mysteries filled with eclectic characters, and provocative contemporary works. The Public Broadcasting Service also ensures that its programming is reaching viewers, especially younger ones, where and how they watch TV, which increasingly is anywhere but on a stuck-to-the-wall screen. The show’s reputation is as a definitively old-school TV establishment, the one at the opposite end of the spectrum from “pop culture,” the rare series that anti-television types are willing to admit to watching. AD “’Masterpiece’ is important to the PBS system. 156.8k Followers, 269 Following, 2,324 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from MASTERPIECE | PBS (@masterpiecepbs) PBS’s “Masterpiece” will be 50 years old Sunday, and that’s a most excellent thing. But “Masterpiece” executive producer Susanne Simpson says it’s positioned to thrive as it addresses the challenges posed by a changing media industry and increased calls for diversity. MASTERPIECE’s exceptional lineup of new and returning favorites has earned a devoted following. The PBS show made period imports viable, and it provided entree into TV for those perhaps more wedded to reading, long before scripted TV became the more challenging and intellectually sound place we know now. This month marks the 50th anniversary of Masterpiece, the iconic PBS drama series that sparked America’s infatuation with British television.. All rights reserved. Stream full episodes online. It’s hard to imagine “Bridgerton,” or “The Crown,” two current period hits on Netflix, without “Masterpiece” as a precedent, just as it’s hard to name many news magazines that weren’t somehow shaped by “60 Minutes.”. "Masterpiece" streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 percent under the age of 55, according to PBS. Stream full episodes online. Even before the pandemic left TV outlets desperately seeking already-made product from other countries, streaming services such as Hulu and Netflix had been feverishly bringing British and foreign-language series to America in the manner of “Masterpiece.” They’ve found particular success with the kinds of British mysteries, including “Broadchurch,” “The Fall,” and “Happy Valley,” that have been airing for decades on “Mystery!,” PBS’s 1980 “Masterpiece” spinoff (which was folded into “Masterpiece” in 2008). website is not intended for users located within the European Economic Area. With more streaming services and other outlets gobbling up programs, including the British-made dramas that are a “Masterpiece” staple, the public TV program is becoming more aggressive in the marketplace, Simpson said. “Masterpiece” streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 percent under the age of 55, according to PBS. On Jan. 10, 1971, the anthology series premiered with “The First Churchills,” a 12-episode drama about Winston Churchill’s 17th-century ancestors. View the broadcast schedule, watch full episodes, clips and more from the acclaimed drama series. PBS’ Masterpiece, which has been home to classic British dramas including Downton Abbey, Upstairs, Downstairs, Prime Suspect and the original House of Cards, turns 50 on January 10. While PBS may be viewed primarily as a traditional broadcaster, its programs (and educational initiatives) are available online. Up to 70% off Clearance: Every purchase supports public television for all You've just tried to add this show to My List. When most of us think of PBS series, our minds go to what is actually under the Masterpiece banner. “Masterpiece” streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 percent under the age of 55, according to PBS. December 29, 2020 Alyssa Beno Leave a Comment. The goal going forward: to regularly curate and import good British series, many of them starring some of the best up-and-coming British actors — in recent years, for example, Damian Lewis, Benedict Cumberbatch, Carey Mulligan, Tom Hardy, and Keira Knightley — as well as the stalwarts. PBS' 'Masterpiece' revels in the old and the new TV Roundup: PBS' 'Masterpiece,' ‘Dickinson,' 'American Gods,' 'Circus' By Gary Graff ggraff@medianewsgroup.com; @GraffonMusic on Twitter Yes, PBS has given us many treasures … “I’ve had some terrific, serious conversations in which it’s clear to me that our U.K. producers are as committed as we are” to adding diversity across the board, including in writing, directing and acting, Simpson said. Damian Lewis as King Henry VIII in the "Masterpiece" series "Wolf Hall. Alas, the shoulders of giants do sometimes get trampled upon. The official site for MASTERPIECE on PBS. Starting today, instead of housing all of Masterpiece's titles under the "Masterpiece" banner, we're giving each show its own digital home. The Unseen Alistair Cooke presents a revealing portrait of the longtime Masterpiece Theatre host, one of the most celebrated broadcasters of the 20th century. Inspector Lewis. But she said it makes the most of its relationships with producers such as Colin Callender, whose “All Creatures Great and Small” reboot kicks off the new “Masterpiece” season Sunday. But it must fight behemoths such as Netflix and Amazon, these days, to acquire the best. David Oyelowo, the English-born Black actor who starred as the obsessed police inspector Javert, felt comfortable taking the role after he looked into 19th-century French history and found that there were Black police officers, Simpson recounted. Watch Masterpiece videos on demand. Air Date: Sun, Jan 10, 2021 7:00 PM Facebook. Funding for MASTERPIECE is provided by Viking and Raymond James with additional support from public television viewers and contributors to The MASTERPIECE Trust, created to help ensure the series’ future. The show was dubbed “Masterpiece Theatre,” the British spelling of “theater” a critical flourish symbolizing the show’s roots; it was rebranded down to simply “Masterpiece” in 2008 when the British became implicit. Whether you made your way here to watch your regular programming, or you're looking for something new, we've got you covered. “I’m so proud of ‘The Long Song’ and being in a cast of people like that, of amazing older Black actors that I grew up watching,” Lawrance said. The revival of “All Creatures Great and Small” on “Masterpiece” (8 p.m., PBS) has been generally well received and But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. Pandemic uncertainty brought it to “Masterpiece,” when taping on some of its U.K. shows paused last March and Simpson sought available programs as a safeguard. Celebrate With These New Programs Airing in January. Twitter. The show had been devised and produced by WGBH, the Boston PBS channel, after the 1967 BBC adaptation of John Galsworthy’s “Forsyte Saga” novels had met with unexpected success when the series aired on public television in the States in 1970. “The Long Song,” a three-part drama debuting Jan. 31 on “Masterpiece,” exemplifies what is hiding in plain sight. Matthew Gilbert can be reached at matthew.gilbert@globe.com. She joined the series nearly 14 years ago and became its executive producer in 2019, only the fourth since “Masterpiece” debuted Jan. 10, 1971, with the miniseries “The First Churchills.”, “We are investing earlier and we’re co-producing earlier on projects, so we’re in a position to be able to put development money into scripts,” Simpson said. “HBO pounced on doing ‘Elizabeth I’ with Helen Mirren, which was a very rude shock because we considered rather comfortably that we owned Elizabeth I,” she said. This Watch Masterpiece videos on demand. WTOP.com | Alexa | Google Home | WTOP App | 103.5 FM, ESPN doubles down by expanding MegaCasts to NFL playoffs, ‘The Office’ unveils never-seen footage to celebrate move to Peacock, Dr. Fauci: ‘I vaccinated Santa Claus, he’s good to go’, Maryland state, county lawmakers target ghost guns, Presidential Inaugural Committee ‘very confident’ about security measures, Hogan makes education, pandemic relief a priority in next Md. Stream full episodes online. It was a significant sensation in the 2010s, as it drew in younger viewers than the usual “Masterpiece” audience, and it finished up the decade with a movie extension that was a box office hit. Together with his cool, cerebral partner Hathaway, Lewis tackles murder and mayhem in the seemingly-perfect academic haven of Oxford. LinkedIn. Masterpiece Turns 50! On air and online, MASTERPIECE delivers a signature brand of sophisticated drama that delights and captivates large and loyal audiences. "Masterpiece" streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 per cent under the age of 55, according to PBS. While celebrating five decades of award-winning television, Masterpiece unveils its slate of the next unforgettable dramas … And yet, “Downton Abbey.” The Julian Fellowes series, which premiered here in 2011, became the highest-rated “Masterpiece,” and the most-nominated non-US series in Emmy history. Already familiar with the late Levy’s work because “Masterpiece” had aired an adaptation of her “Small Island” novel in 2010, Simpson said she found “The Long Song” to be “powerful and moving.”. Certainly “Masterpiece” has focused on the less terminally gruesome shows of the genre, with the likes of Agatha Christie’s “Poirot” and “Miss Marple,” but some of its mystery imports, notably Helen Mirren’s “Prime Suspect” and Kenneth Branagh’s “Wallander,” have been sufficiently grim. “Masterpiece” continues its 50th anniversary with a nod to old favorites. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed. “Masterpiece” streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 percent under the age of 55, according to PBS. Lynn Elber can be reached at lelber@ap.org and is on Twitter at http://twitter.com/lynnelber. Inspector Lewis is the former working-class foil to the erudite Detective Inspector Morse. PBS Hawai‘i earned the 2020 Platinum Seal of Transparency, the highest level of recognition offered by GuideStar. As unlikely as it seems in the age of Netflix’s celebrated “The Crown” and its new multiethnic sensation “Bridgerton,” U.S. networks used to avoid British drama “because the general feeling was nobody could understand the accent,” Eaton recalled. “Masterpiece” had aired “Elizabeth R,” the 1972 miniseries with Glenda Jackson as the monarch, a perceived stake that HBO blithely ignored. All rights reserved. “Masterpiece" streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 per cent under the age of 55, according to PBS. Yes, only one. For every unexpected treat (“Any Human Heart” in 2011), there is, say, an unnecessary remake of a Jane Austen or Charles Dickens novel or a thriller such as “Flesh and Blood,” which ended on a cliffhanger with no sign of a second season in sight. Fellowes’s follow-ups to “Downton,” for example, have not ended up on “Masterpiece.” “Belgravia” is on Epix, “The English Game” is on Netflix, “Doctor Thorne” is on Amazon, and the forthcoming “Gilded Age” will be on HBO. Still, the overall average is good enough to keep me watching and hoping. Series that seem as though they absolutely belong on “Masterpiece” — I’m thinking of “War & Peace” in 2016, which was on A&E, Lifetime, and History, or “Parade’s End” of 2013 and “Gentleman Jack” of 2019, both of which were on HBO. Only one has survived for that long, week in and week out, there for literate American audiences regardless of the trends of the moment, one foot in global history and literature and the other in the much-badgered medium of television, featuring enough waist-strangling corsets to put Weight Watchers out of business? Our viewers expect us to keep finding the best” in TV, Simpson said, even as competition from commercial platforms increases. Email. The show has been on the receiving end of countless parodies over the years, from “Sesame Street” (see: “Monsterpiece Theatre”) to “Saturday Night Live” and “In Living Color.” Parodies of “Downton Abbey” — the “Sesame Street” one is called “Upside Downton Abbey” — practically form a genre of their own. It has to be hard for the “Masterpiece” team, now that their competition includes many more, and far wealthier, TV outlets than I can name here. Phrases such as “the ‘Masterpiece Theatre’ set” are often used as shorthand for older, stodgier TV viewers, the ones who aren’t of great value to advertisers, even if they’re willing to donate to PBS. “What I learned from him is that it’s really our obligation as the writers and the producers to look more deeply at history in terms of what people of color were authentically, and to take more effort to find those stories,” she said. The same can be said for Cumberbatch’s hugely popular “Sherlock” series that premiered in 2010. “Masterpiece” streams on PBS.org and the PBS Video app to an audience that skews younger than its broadcast viewership, with nearly 40 percent under the age of 55, according to PBS. The showcase also is responding to the growing call for inclusivity in Hollywood screen projects, Simpson said. Jane Austen completed 11 chapters of her final novel, Sanditon, before her death in July, 1817.The fragmented novel was published eight years later, and many people have tried to … Based on Andrea Levy’s historical novel of the same name, a finalist for the prestigious Booker literary prize, it tells of a young Black woman’s life in the final years of slavery in Jamaica and its aftermath. LOS ANGELES (AP) — As PBS’ “Masterpiece” marks its 50th anniversary Sunday, the drama and mystery showcase could rest on its reputation built with acclaimed programs including “I, Claudius” and “Elizabeth R” and polished anew by surprising pop-culture hits “Sherlock” and “Downton Abbey.”. “I have probably 15 projects sitting in my inbox, and I’m going to have to make a decision quickly on one of those because there is so much competition for those projects.”. Beecham House, PBS at 10 on Sunday: Former East India Company solider John Beecham arrives in Delhi determined to reunite his family and hide the identity of … Naturally, massive hits don’t come the way of “Masterpiece” often, but they do arrive; in between, there are shows — both adaptations and, like “Downton,” originals — that range from masterful (“Bleak House”) and transporting (“Victoria”) to riveting (the recent “Elizabeth Is Missing” starring Glenda Jackson) and sunnily escapist (“The Durrells in Corfu” and the new “All Creatures Great and Small” premiering Sunday). PBS has had a long-standing relationship with Amazon for distribution of Masterpiece titles, The Collection is the first Masterpiece co-production with Amazon Studios and Lookout Point. It’s quietly in league with the other influential institutions of the medium — “60 Minutes” (53 years), “Monday Night Football” (50), “Saturday Night Live” (46) — as the first of its kind, a pioneer of sorts, and an endurance runner. It’s strange to think of “Masterpiece” as cutting edge, isn’t it? Worse yet, they thought it sounded too high-brow for Americans. Copyright © 2021 by WTOP. If “Masterpiece” had seemed to some like an antique, the “Downton” phenomenon quickly shut them down. It’s seen as bait for Anglophiles. While that hasn’t changed, there are ways that you can watch their best series on demand, even without cable. PBS’s “Masterpiece” will be 50 years old Sunday, and that’s a most excellent thing. While PBS may be viewed primarily as a traditional broadcaster, its programs (and educational initiatives) are available online. When most nighttime TV dramas turn 50, they usually — oh wait, what’s that? But first, we need you to sign in to PBS using one of the services below. But in 1985, there was suddenly “somebody else in the game” besides PBS and the A&E channel, said Eaton, now executive producer at large for “Masterpiece.”. “The thrust of diversity meant several things,” Callender said, including making the female characters fully dimensional, casting actors with physical challenges and creating a character inspired by the family history of Black actor Clea Sylvestre, who plays the role. One of the most popular drama series in TV history -- Bringing you the best in classic adaptations, mysteries filled with eclectic characters, and provocative contemporary works. Masterpiece at shop.pbs.org. While PBS may be viewed primarily as a traditional broadcaster, its programs (and educational initiatives) are available online. That requires the cooperation of British TV producers, whose industry has faced its own sharp criticism for long minimizing people of color as actors and creators. “Masterpiece” is doing its own work, Simpson said. budget, Army is working on Frankenbots with living tissue to better robot capabilities, Census Bureau director to resign amid criticism over data, Biden proposes $9B for Tech Modernization Fund, New House bill would block Schedule F, and anything else like it. Tamara Lawrance, who stars as the main character, said every generation believes “things are changing, things are different,” but sees a welcome energy in the British creative community that is building on the past. 784.3k Followers, 299 Following, 4,075 Posts - See Instagram photos and videos from PBS (@pbs) And educational initiatives ) are available online services below partner Hathaway, Lewis tackles murder and mayhem the... 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