Call the Midwife Season 3 and Mr. Selfridge Season 2!

Chummy is back on Sunday March 30! I just previewed the first episode of Call The Midwife Season 3 and it was fabulous as usual. And lots of Chummy in this one so you know it will be good. And a (shhh) Royal Visit (shhhh).

Check local listings but in my area this one airs at 8pm as the lead in for Mr. Selfridge. Harrumph! Call the Midwife should be the main feature methinks.

Mr. Selfridge Season 2 starts next Sunday as well on PBS stations everywhere. I think 9 pm but check local listings!!!

I like this show (if I can remember back that far) but I haven't heard any buzz on the new season. I also haven't had a chance to preview the season opener yet so I can't give you any info yet.

I do love Frances O'Connor so high hopes!

Let me know what you think of these new seasons!

P.S. After watching the whole season opener of Mr. Selfridge on Sunday night, I am sort of on the fence about it. Absolutely gorgeous to look at, no doubt about that. And Frances O'Connor as Rose Selfridge is sticking up for herself and letting Jeremy Piven's big boss know where he can take his loving husband routine. Go Rose! But there is still something lacking in this series. I will continue to watch, ever hopeful that the plot will live up to the production values. I'd love to know what you think. Please comment below.

Still loving Chummy and The Midwives! xoxo

Cheers!

Return to Downton Abbey- Dec 1 on PBS

PBS is giving us a nice little teaser for Downton Abbey in the form of Return to Downton Abbey on December 1, 2013 at 9 pm.

Susan Sarandon hosts this recap of all things Downton including a peek at Season 4 which starts on January 5, which is not that far off! Apparently O'Brien is gone so we will need a new evil female character below stairs. I can't wait!

We get to see some behind the scenes clips, along with interviews with creator Julian Fellowes and some of the actors we now know and love. So tune in to PBS this Sunday (I think even my local WNED out of Buffalo is airing this one at the same time) and enjoy the teaser!

The Paradise on PBS Masterpiece

Well my dear readers, The Paradise is finally here on PBS Masterpiece starting tonight at 9 pm. This BBC offering is an adaptation of Émile Zola's novel Au Bonheur des Dames (The Ladies' Paradise) but moving the early department store to the North of England instead of Paris.

Tonight we follow Denise Lovett (played by Joanna Vanderham) as she moves from her small town in the North of England to get a job with her uncle in his draper's shop. He is unable to hire her as he is getting squeezed out by "The Paradise", located across the street and one of the first high end department stores in England.

Denise of course gets a job there instead and promptly falls in love with the gorgeous boss, John Moray (played scrumptiously by Emun Elliott). So you see where this is going of course! A bit of back stabbing amongst the shop girls, a love triangle involving the boss and...well...I don't want to give it all away!

Speaking of scrumptious, my preference in male characters is Dudley (played by Matthew McNulty), Mr. Moray's right hand man and friend from childhood. He is gorgeous and that lovely Northern accent reminds me of a certain other Victorian Northerner, Mr. Thornton! My online friends will know what I mean!

Although based on a wonderful novel by Émile Zola, don't expect high art from this series. This is more Downton Abbey than it is Pride and Prejudice. However it looks like a lot of fun. And my friends in the UK seemed to like this one better than the similar ITV offering Mr. Selfridge. I think NOT having Jeremy Piven in this makes me like it better already. I am not a JP fan!

If you enjoy Victorian dresses as much as I do, you will appreciate this one for the fashion alone, but it seems there is much more to it than pretty costumes. The Beeb has already commissioned a second series which is a good sign, but then ITV is doing more Mr. Selfridge as well. Perhaps the battle of the Victorian/Edwardian department store series will be determined conclusively when we get to see the second seasons!

So tighten your corsets my friends and enjoy the ride. It will likely be a bumpy, melodramatic but satisfying romp. And come back and comment with your impressions after you watch the first episode.



Cheers!

P.S. Apologies for not including the caveat "Check local listings". My local station WNED is at it again, not airing something that PBS has sent me promotional material on! Grrrr!!! If you are in the USA, the first episode is available online for a limited time, so catch it while you can.