PBS Masterpiece Fall 2014: Marple, Lewis, the Darcys, and Worricker

Not to put too fine a point on it, but PBS is the place for stateside Brit TV fans to be on Sunday nights this autumn, because Masterpiece is bringing some of our favorite Brit TV characters back to US telly, as well as a follow-up to a beloved classic.

Agatha Christie’s Marple
It seems only fitting that, with the final (as in ever) episodes of Agatha Christie’s Poirot screening this summer, there should be some new Agatha Christie’s Marple episodes, too. And so there are!

Three, as a matter of fact — “A Caribbean Mystery,” “Greenshaw’s Folly,” and “Endless Night” — starring Julia McKenzie (Cranford) as the ever-curious and observant amateur sleuth Miss Marple. The episodes will air on Sundays, 21 and 28 September 2014. Times have not yet been announced, so stay tuned.

Inspector Lewis, Season 7

Fans of Inspector Lewis collectively mourned when what was supposed to be the last-ever series episode aired last year (no matter that Kevin Whately and Laurence Fox had left the door open to doing one-off Lewis specials). So we jumped the gun a little, because we’ll get to see the actors as Lewis and Hathaway once again (woo hoo!) — not in a one-off special but in three new feature-length episodes that comprise the seventh season. Inspector Lewis: Season 7 will air from 9:00-10:30 PM ET on Sundays from 5-19 October 2014.

More at New Series of Inspector Lewis Commissioned!

Death Comes to Pemberley
If you’ve ever wondered if Miss Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy lived happily ever after, you can find out when the adaptation of P.D. James’ follow-up to Pride and Prejudice — Death Comes to Pemberley — picks up the couple’s story six years after they marry.

Their wedded bliss and plans for their annual ball are dramatically interrupted by the discovery of a corpse on the Pemberley estate, and so begins a mystery that will bring matters of pride and prejudice, innocence and guilt, to the fore. The miniseries will air as a two-parter on Sundays, 26 October and 2 November 2014 from 9:00-10:30 PM ET.

More at All-Star Cast for “Death Comes to Pemberley”

Worricker: Turks & Caicos and Salting the Battlefield

I’m having a bit of a do-do-do-do, do-do-do-do Twilight Zone moment, because yesterday’s post was primarily about the two films that conclude The Worricker Trilogy, which I didn’t know but hoped that PBS would pick up. And whaddya know, they did!

The fabulous Bill Nighy (Bill Nighy!) will return to our screens as MI-5 intelligence analyst Johnny Worricker in the follow-ups to Page Eight — Turks & Caicos and Salting the Battlefield — in which he must use his skills as a spook to outwit other operatives, evade his pursuers, and maintain his freedom (if not his life).Turks & Caicos will air on Sunday, 9 November, and Salting the Battlefield on Sunday, 16 November 2014 — both from 9:00-11:00 PM ET.

More at Must-See Brit TV on DVD: The Worricker Trilogy Starring Bill Nighy

Note: For all of the above programs, check your local listings.

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