For fans of the lush “Sanditon” series (shown hee), PBS has semi-encouaging news:
It will be back … well, sometime. And probably in 2022.
“They are just about three weeks into filming now,” Susanne Simpson, the “Masterpiece” producer, told the Television Critics Association. “But you will see ‘Sanditon’ next year.”
Based on a novel that Jane Austen had barely started, the show created a seaside world filled with schemes, ambition and romance. It drew mildly favorable reviews from critics and strongly favorable comments from viewers … but the British company that created it decided against a second season.
“There was quite an animated fan base that really encouaged us to try to bring (it) back,” said Paula Kerger, the PBS president. Other British partners were recruited and the cast was re-assembled. “It was a complicated series to try to bring back.”
This has been a complicated year in general, with other shows delayed by COVID. Kerger points to the new “Great American Recipe” competition, which has been delayed until next summer. “I think summer is a perfect time for this.”
Some of the shows “Masterpiece” expected won’t be ready this year, Simpson said, including “Endeavour” and “Van der Valk.” Instead, she’ll have:
– “Guilt,” Sept. 5 and 12. It’s “something a bit different,” Simpson said, “a darkly funny contemporary show from Scotland. (In the United Kingdom), it was a surprise hit with critics and viewers.”
– “Grantchester,” starting Oct. 3. That’s 16 months later than expected; it arrives alongside the return of “Call the Midwife.”
– “Baptiste,” starting Oct. 17. It’s a spin-off from the “Missing” mini-series.
– And “All Creatures Great and Small,” returning in January, as scheduled. Diana Rigg died during the first season, but her character will continue, now played by Patricia Hodge. “Mrs. Pumphrey was such an iconic character in the book that we needed to have her,” producer Colin Callender said.