PBS Masterpiece theater Mr Selfridge

[MrBern]

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/programs/series/mr-selfridge/
At the unfashionable end of Oxford Street in 1909 London, an American retail tycoon arrives to jettison fusty British tradition and open the biggest and finest department store the world has ever seen: Selfridges.

[video=youtube;sLborDbtx3M]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLborDbtx3M[/video]

 

[Gingerella72]

I believe this begins here in the US on Sunday March 31 on PBS. As well as Season 2 of Call The Midwife! I'm looking forward to both.

 

[Tomasso]

One of the great merchant princes; “The customer is always right”

 

[skyvue]

I've got the Tivo already set to record the first episode, but really? "Sing, Sing, Sing"?

I hope that recording is only heard in the preview and not in the series itself.

 

[Gingerella72]

Did anyone watch this last night? I was disappointed. Character development is forced and awkward, and I absolutely cannot stand Jeremy Piven. And the actress they have playing his wife is about as exciting as oatmeal. It's a great concept, but I think they needed to spend more time building up the reasoning of why a store such as that was so novel; there are few alive today who can remember not being able to just go into a store to browse and see all the merchandise on display. I mean they touched on it in the beginning but I don't think it was enough explanation for a modern audience.

 

[Tomasso]

I was disappointed....... It's a great concept, but I think they needed to spend more time building up the reasoning of why a store such as that was so novel; there are few alive today who can remember not being able to just go into a store to browse and see all the merchandise on display. I mean they touched on it in the beginning but I don't think it was enough explanation for a modern audience.

Exactly. More about the store and less soap opera....

 

[LocktownDog]

Piven? Blech.

 

[ButteMT61]

For them on DVR. Hope it's not that bad

 

[Lily Powers]

Did anyone watch this last night? I was disappointed. Character development is forced and awkward, and I absolutely cannot stand Jeremy Piven. And the actress they have playing his wife is about as exciting as oatmeal. It's a great concept, but I think they needed to spend more time building up the reasoning of why a store such as that was so novel; there are few alive today who can remember not being able to just go into a store to browse and see all the merchandise on display. I mean they touched on it in the beginning but I don't think it was enough explanation for a modern audience.

Glad I'm not the only one who feels this way. I thought the actors were very obvious and trying too hard to generate Monday morning water cooler conversation.

 

[MrBern]

Behind the scenes. The gateway to Modernity.

[video]http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/shorts/mr-selfridge-behind-scenes/[/video]

Showgirls & Shopgirls
[video]http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/watch-online/shorts/mr-selfridge-showgirls-shopgirls/[/video]

 

[herringbonekid]

looks strangely similar to a recent BBC drama about the opening of a Victorian department store called 'The Paradise'.

 

[sheeplady]

I've found it disappointing too. And the women all look like they're wearing wigs.

I really enjoyed the Bletchley Circle that followed this week, however.

 

[fortworthgal]

I too found it disappointing. I was excited about a potential off-season replacement for Downton, but I only watched the first 2 episodes before I stopped. I will admit that I am not a fan of Jeremy Piven, and I think I went into the show with prejudice, but overall I found it somewhat boring and contrived.

 

[Fading Fast]

The show has gotten a bit better as some of the characters are developing three dimensions and some of the plot lines have become more nuanced and less predictable. That said, the show still suffers from a weird style where it just drops in big developments in retail history with almost no set up or context. As Gingerrella72 pointed out, they don't give the viewer the historical context of why something is a big deal - such as in the recent episode when the store decided to have a store-wide sale (that was a big deal for an upscale store to do then), but while they acknowledge that it's a big event, they don't show how it went against the history and tradition of retailing in the UK.

And the idea itself seemed to just spring from Mr. Selfridge's mind as an apercu (insanely over-acted by Jeremy Piven - who seems to have two speeds in this show: 1. petal to the metal / I'm the tornado in the Wizard of Oz and 2. (all too infrequently) thoughtful, real-actor speed trying to develop a character. Bletchley Circle, Call the Midwife and (to a lesser extent) Bomb Girls are much better historical fiction shows.

Also, does anyone know why Selfridges - a clearly upscale store selling to a high-end clientele - would be so worried about FW Woolworths - a five and dime focused on the budget-conscious working class - as competition? Mr Selfridge seemed to be very worried, but FW Woolworth, the man, (it would have been great if they had developed his character as he could have been used to increase the credibility of the historical context of the show) kept telling him that his clients were different (but then FW also implied he was a threat to Selfrides - so that, too, was inconsistent / confusing)?

 

[Gingerella72]

The first season finale was last night.

I was very underwhelmed with the first episode, but it has grown on me....even Jeremy Piven whom I greatly dislike, lol. I've found myself looking forward to finding out what happens as each different plot line develops. I'm disappointed that season 2 won't be until 2014!

 

[Dixon Cannon]

I admit it, I've fallen in love with Agnes Towler! (LOL) -dixon cannon

 

[esteban68]

in all honesty 'The Paradise' was better IMHO.

 

[dhermann1]

Tried SEVERAL times last night to watch it . . . but . . . I . . . just . . . couldn't . . .
About a minute and a half was all I could stand. I do so wish I could enjoy it! I love the idea of it, but I just can't watch it.

 

[The Wiser Hatter]

They all are better that most everything on American TV. Only American network TV worth watching for me are Elementary( Sherlock) and Person of Interest.

 

[esteban68]

I must admit that the Beeb and ITV have knocked out some cracking tv over the years, there is some good stuff coming from over there in the USA but as a Brit the one thing I and people in general don't like is the advertising breaks...over here we used to get ad breaks every 15 miutes so generally if the show started on the hour we'd get ads at a quater past, half past and a quarter too but since the advent of satelitte tv they are getting more and more frequent...probably why us Brits love good old BBC for all its ills.