Readers, rejoice! There’s an incredible selection of fabulous tales and captivating stories to watch with PBS KVIE Passport! Discover classic literature brought to life on screen – from high-society romance, to eerie Gothic mysteries, to dramatic accounts of social and political change.
Check out these wonderful bookish series at the links below.
Daniel Deronda
Get swept up in an unlikely love story set in Victorian high society on Andrew Davies’ adaptation of George Eliot’s last novel. Gwendolen Harleth falls in love with the idealistic Daniel Deronda, but they couldn’t be more different. She is outwardly alluring, vivacious, and selfish. He is sensitive and caring.
How to Watch:
Far From the Madding Crowd
This powerful adaptation of Thomas Hardy’s classic novel spins a story of passion and destruction set in the 19th century. It follows the life of Bathsheba Everdene, an impulsive, flighty, and bewitching young woman with a fiercely independent nature who ensnares – and almost destroys – the lives of three men.
How to Watch:
Howards End on Masterpiece
Join two independent and unconventional sisters and the men in their lives as they seek love and meaning in an ever-changing world on Howards End on Masterpiece. This adaptation of E.M. Forster’s classic novel about class struggles in Edwardian England stars Hayley Atwell, Matthew Macfadyen, and Tracey Ullman.
How to Watch:
Jane Eyre
The classic saga of Jane Eyre is brought vibrantly to life in this lavish adaptation starring Ruth Wilson and Toby Stephens. After a wretched childhood as an orphan, Jane Eyre accepts the position of governess at Thornfield Hall. She soon falls in love with the brooding owner, but before they can find happiness, they must first overcome the dark secrets of his past.
How to Watch:
Middlemarch
Dive into a turbulent story of provincial life on the brink of momentous change in Middlemarch, where the Industrial Revolution threatens to split the town into two opposing factions. Rufus Sewell stars in this moving adaptation of George Eliot’s masterpiece.
How to Watch:
Northanger Abbey
In Jane Austen’s gentle parody of gothic fiction, Felicity Jones plays romance addict Catherine Morland. Invited to a medieval country house that appeals to her most lurid fantasies, she forms a close friendship with the younger son on the estate, Henry Tilney, played by JJ Feild, but their budding romance is mysteriously cut short.
How to Watch:
Tom Jones on Masterpiece
Watch as two lovers follow their hearts in a new adaptation of Henry Fielding’s novel starring Solly McLeod (House of the Dragon), Sophie Wilde (You Don’t Know Me), and Hannah Waddingham (Ted Lasso), and adapted by Gwyneth Hughes (Vanity Fair). This tale of a young man’s love for a wealthy heiress brings 18th century England to life in all its passion and prejudice, luxury, and loose morals.
How to Watch:
War & Peace
As the Russian conflict with Napoleon reaches its peak, five aristocratic families face the possibility of their lives being changed forever on the 8-part series War & Peace. Based on Leo Tolstoy’s classic novel and adapted by leading screenwriter Andrew Davies, the star-studded series features Masterpiece favorites Lily James (Downton Abbey) and James Norton (Grantchester).