Classic and contemporary literature is embodied in the British drama series "Masterpiece."
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.
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.
![Preview]()
Evidence connects a death to a library where the victim researched religious erotica.
Preview
![The Cast & Creators on Van der Valk]()
The Cast & Creators on Van der Valk
Learn what inspired the cast and creators to bring Van der Valk to life on screen!
The Cast & Creators on Van der Valk
![Fall 2020 Preview]()
Fall 2020 Preview
Masterpiece Shows
Amsterdam—city of bikes, boats, and bodies. Marc Warren (Beecham House, The Good Wife) stars as steely-eyed cop Piet van der Valk in Van der Valk an all-new series based on Nicolas Freeling’s legendary crime thrillers. Co-starring are Maimie McCoy (Wallander) as Van der Valk’s right-hand woman, Lucienne Hassell; Luke Allen-Gale (Dominion) as the scruffy sergeant, Brad de Vries; and more!
Imelda Staunton and Francesca Annis star in a mystery about late-life romance. Claudie Blakley, Russell Tovey, and Lydia Leonard play the grown-up children of Annis’s character. Stephen Rae is her new gentleman friend. Staunton stars as the inquisitive next-door neighbor. And David Bamber is the detective who tries to work out whether an unfortunate incident was an accident or a heinous crime.
Shaun Evans (The Take, The Last Weekend, Silk), charms audiences with his portrayal of the cerebral and solitary Detective Constable Morse in Endeavour, written by Inspector Lewis creator and Inspector Morse writer Russell Lewis .
Tom Brittney stars as Will Davenport, with Robson Green as his law-enforcement ally, Inspector Geordie Keating, in Grantchester. Although Will lives the life of a clergyman, sometimes he can’t help but fall into more worldly habits as he solves murders in the bucolic village of Grantchester.
World on Fire, an adrenalized, emotionally gripping and resonant World War II drama, follows the intertwining fates of ordinary people in five countries as they grapple with the effects of the war on their everyday lives. Starring Helen Hunt, Sean Bean, Jonah Hauer-King and more, the series premieres on Sunday, April 5, 2020 at 9/8c.
Gurinder Chadha’s (Bend it Like Beckham) drama Beecham House is set in 19th century Delhi before the British ruled in that region. Tom Bateman steps into the role of John Beecham, a handsome former soldier who has purchased the mansion, Beecham House, to begin a new life. The cast includes Lesley Nicol (Downton Abbey), Gregory Fitoussi (Mr. Selfridge), Adil Ray, Pallavi Sharda, and others.
Jane Austen’s final and incomplete novel, written only months before her death in 1817, Sanditon tells the story of the joyously impulsive, spirited and unconventional Charlotte Heywood (Rose Williams) and her spiky relationship with the charming, enigmatic Sidney Parker (Theo James).
Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) stars as Ross Poldark, a redcoat who returns to Cornwall after battle to discover that his father is dead, his lands are ruined, and his true love is engaged to another. Can Poldark change his destiny, restore his lost fortune, and reclaim his love ?
Keeley Hawes (Upstairs Downstairs) stars as an intrepid widow who decamps from dreary England to a sun-dappled Greek island with her four recalcitrant children, ages 11 to 21, on this adaptation of Gerald Durrell’s My Family and Other Animals and its two sequels.
In 1837, a diminutive, neglected teenager is crowned Queen Victoria, navigates the scandal, corruption, and political intrigues of the Court, and soon rises to become the most powerful woman in the world. Victoria stars Jenna Coleman (Doctor Who) as Queen Victoria in a highly anticipated series that follows the drama of the candid, spirited monarch.
Victor Hugo’s masterpiece comes to television in a six-part adaptation by multi- award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies. Dominic West stars as fugitive Jean Valjean, with David Oyelowo as his pursuer Inspector Javert and Lily Collins as the luckless single mother Fantine. Ellie Bamber and Josh O'Connor costar as the young lovers Cosette and Marius.
Nicola Walker (Last Tango in Halifax) and Sanjeev Bhaskar (Indian Summers) star as police officers investigating the cold case murder of a boy whose diary implicates four seemingly unconnected couples in a thriller that The Guardian (UK) hailed as “so much more than a satisfying murder mystery.”
When the opportunity arises for Louise Brooks (Haley Lu Richardson) to go to New York to study with a leading dance troupe, her mother insists there be a chaperone. Norma Carlisle (Elizabeth McGovern), a local society matron who never broke a rule in her life, impulsively volunteers to accompany Louise to New York for a surprising, whirlwind summer.
Ruth Wilson (The Affair, Jane Eyre) stars in this drama inspired by her grandmother's memoir. Alison Wilson thinks she is happily married until her husband Alec (Iain Glen, Game of Thrones) dies, and another woman claims to be Alec’s wife. Alison is determined to prove the validity of her own marriage – but is instead led into a world of disturbing secrets. Coming to MASTERPIECE on PBS in 2019.
See what happens when a teen bride's new husband gives her an extraordinary wedding gift: a cabinet that is a miniature replica of their home—and seems to predict and unravel the future with unsettling precision.
Starring Charlotte Riley (Peaky Blinders, King Charles III) and Ben Chaplin (Apple Tree Yard, The Thin Red Line) and featuring David Suchet (Poirot), the six-part drama explores the turbulent media landscape and the ethical dilemmas journalists face each day. Coming to MASTERPIECE in 2019.
Loved by generations of women worldwide, Little Women is a truly universal coming of age story. Set against the backdrop of the Civil War, the story follows sisters Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy March on their journey from childhood to adulthood. With the help of their mother, Marmee, the girls navigate what it means to be a young woman: from sibling rivalry and first love, to loss and marriage.
The world’s only consulting detective, Sherlock Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch), teams up with his long-suffering, faithful friend, Dr. John Watson (Martin Freeman), to solve a dizzying array of crimes and battle diabolical villains with his signature deductive reasoning and his stunning lack of social grace.
Behind every great detective is a backstory. MASTERPIECE dials back the clock to spotlight the influences that turned 22-year-old rookie policewoman Jane Tennison into the savvy, single-minded crime fighter beloved by Prime Suspect viewers.
Set in Northern Ireland during World War Two, My Mother and Other Strangers follows the fortunes of the Coyne family and their neighbors as they struggle to maintain a normal life after a huge United States Army Air Force (USAAF) airfield, with 4,000 service men and women, lands in the middle of their rural parish.
This one-night drama tells the extraordinary true story of Victorian poisoner Mary Ann Cotton, played by Golden Globe winner and Emmy award nominee Joanne Froggatt (Downton Abbey).
When a rural English town finds itself on the verge of World War II, two powerful women struggle to put aside their differences in The Women’s Institute and join forces amidst the chaos and uncertainty of wartime. Samantha Bond (Downton Abbey) and Francesca Annis (Reckless, Cranford) star in this heartwarming story of courage, friendship, and holding onto light in our darkest moments.
A historical drama for a modern audience, Wolf Hall, the 2016 Peabody Award and Golden Globe winner for Best Television Limited Series or Motion Picture Made for Television, tells the story of Thomas Cromwell, played by Mark Rylance—a blacksmith’s son who rises from the ashes of personal disaster, and deftly picks his way through King Henry VIII's court, where “man is wolf to man.”
To Walk Invisible The Brontë Sisters
To Walk Invisible The Brontë Sisters follows the Brontë sisters in the eventful three-year period that saw them rise from ordinary, unmarried women, taking care of the household and their widowed father, to the secret authors of the world’s most sensational literature.
Set in a subtropical paradise during the twilight era of the British Empire, Indian Summers explores the collision of the ruling class English with their Indian subjects, and the intricate game of power, politics and passion that ensues.
Set during the summer of 1953, Churchill’s Secret tells a little-known part of Winston Churchill’s great life story. Having suffered a life-threatening stroke, which his inner circle conspired to hide from the public, the film charts the course of Churchill’s (played by Cranford’s Michael Gambon) remarkable recovery with the help of his spirited nurse (Emma’s Romola Garai).
Kevin Whately stars as Inspector Lewis, the former working-class foil to the erudite Detective Inspector Morse. Together with his cool, cerebral partner Hathaway (Laurence Fox), Lewis tackles murder and mayhem in the seemingly-perfect academic haven of Oxford. Together, they struggle with procedural dilemmas and existential questions about their futures–on the force and in their personal lives.
In 1909 London, an American retail tycoon arrives at the unfashionable end of Oxford Street to jettison fusty British tradition and open one of the finest department stores the world has ever seen. Three-time Emmy® winner Jeremy Piven stars as Harry Gordon Selfridge, the flamboyant entrepreneur and showman seeking to provide London’s shoppers with the ultimate merchandise and the ultimate thrill.
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MASTERPIECE Must Knows: New Fall Shows
What’s on the Fall 2020 schedule for MASTERPIECE on PBS? Find out news, airdates, episodes, who’s cast and how to watch our three thrilling new shows!
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