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PBS seeks Downton-esque Brit hit with Call the Midwife and Mr Selfridge PBS seeks Downton-esque Brit hit with Call the Midwife and Mr Selfridge
(6 months later)
The quest by PBS to fill the Downton Abbey-sized gap in American TV viewers' hearts continues this weekend with a boost to its lineup of British period drama imports. Season two of the sepia-tinted UK hit Call the Midwife, which has earned accolades from real midwives the world over, and the new show Mr Selfridge, based on the eponymous American department store mogul, premiere Sunday.The quest by PBS to fill the Downton Abbey-sized gap in American TV viewers' hearts continues this weekend with a boost to its lineup of British period drama imports. Season two of the sepia-tinted UK hit Call the Midwife, which has earned accolades from real midwives the world over, and the new show Mr Selfridge, based on the eponymous American department store mogul, premiere Sunday.
At the New York Times Center on Thursday, PBS executives offered the first official US previews of the shows, which will attempt to capitalize on Downton Abbey's phenomenal success.At the New York Times Center on Thursday, PBS executives offered the first official US previews of the shows, which will attempt to capitalize on Downton Abbey's phenomenal success.
Season one of Call the Midwife, while appreciated in the US, failed to grab audiences in the same way as Downton Abbey. Set in 1950s east London, Call the Midwife has a distinctly different kind of British sensibility that is more loose and gritty than the escapist Downton. The comical images of midwives administering nitrous oxide to women in labor are something of a shock to US viewers schooled in images of a prim, Bronte-influenced British countryside.Season one of Call the Midwife, while appreciated in the US, failed to grab audiences in the same way as Downton Abbey. Set in 1950s east London, Call the Midwife has a distinctly different kind of British sensibility that is more loose and gritty than the escapist Downton. The comical images of midwives administering nitrous oxide to women in labor are something of a shock to US viewers schooled in images of a prim, Bronte-influenced British countryside.
Call the Midwife also lacks a Maggie Smith figure – a British star known in the US. Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, the matriarch of a nursing convent, may have achieved national-treasure status in the UK but she is little known in the US. The slapstick comedy chops of Miranda Hart, who plays junior midwife Camilla Cholmondeley-Browne, have likewise somehow evaded American worship.Call the Midwife also lacks a Maggie Smith figure – a British star known in the US. Jenny Agutter, who plays Sister Julienne, the matriarch of a nursing convent, may have achieved national-treasure status in the UK but she is little known in the US. The slapstick comedy chops of Miranda Hart, who plays junior midwife Camilla Cholmondeley-Browne, have likewise somehow evaded American worship.
But in common with most British period dramas in PBS' Masterpiece Theater series, Call the Midwife manages to deliver the careful nuances necessary to produce the period-piece glow that US television has failed to master. American audiences can also indulge in an array of cockney accents and references to the National Health Service – the mention of the latter earned applause from The New York Times Center audience.But in common with most British period dramas in PBS' Masterpiece Theater series, Call the Midwife manages to deliver the careful nuances necessary to produce the period-piece glow that US television has failed to master. American audiences can also indulge in an array of cockney accents and references to the National Health Service – the mention of the latter earned applause from The New York Times Center audience.
Those not swung by Call the Midwife may seek solace in Mr Selfridge, which makes its stateside debut on Sunday. Cast against the splendor of a business magnate's world and grounded in consumerism and sex, Mr Selfridge has the potential to win over American fans in a way Midwife has not. The show's lead is a brash American pulverizing his way through turn-of-the-century London, creating a culturally dominant shopping institution along the way. In an early scene from episode one, two men reflect on the lead:Those not swung by Call the Midwife may seek solace in Mr Selfridge, which makes its stateside debut on Sunday. Cast against the splendor of a business magnate's world and grounded in consumerism and sex, Mr Selfridge has the potential to win over American fans in a way Midwife has not. The show's lead is a brash American pulverizing his way through turn-of-the-century London, creating a culturally dominant shopping institution along the way. In an early scene from episode one, two men reflect on the lead:
"That Mr Selfridge seems to have a damn high opinion of himself.""That Mr Selfridge seems to have a damn high opinion of himself."
"He's American. That's what they're like.""He's American. That's what they're like."
And who else to play the bull-in-the-china-shop American than Jeremy Piven, of HBO's Entourage. Piven, who seems to employ his stage-acting voice in every scene, also produced the show.And who else to play the bull-in-the-china-shop American than Jeremy Piven, of HBO's Entourage. Piven, who seems to employ his stage-acting voice in every scene, also produced the show.
Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of Masterpiece Theater, said the channel was always looking for a British program with a US tint. When pressed by New York Times television writer Bill Carter about whether any of the slew of recent British hits would air at the same time in the US and UK, to avoid spoilers for the passionate US audience, Eaton said: "Never say never."Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of Masterpiece Theater, said the channel was always looking for a British program with a US tint. When pressed by New York Times television writer Bill Carter about whether any of the slew of recent British hits would air at the same time in the US and UK, to avoid spoilers for the passionate US audience, Eaton said: "Never say never."
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