Masterpiece Theatre, For Your Consideration
By Camryn Garrett
If you aren’t obsessed with Masterpiece Theatre, what are you even doing with your life?
For the uninitiated, Masterpiece (formerly Masterpiece Theatre) is a drama anthology series that airs on PBS that usually presents different British television shows. They most commonly program adaptations of classic novels and biographies, with the occasional original drama. You probably recognize them for shows like Sherlock, Downton Abbey, and BBC’s Pride and Prejudice. I asked the staff of Books are Magic what book they’d like Masterpiece to adapt next!
The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, David Grann
Each essay would be a one to three part episode capturing all the craziness that Grann covers in this collection of New Yorker articles. The chameleon con man in Europe, on a boat trying to get the first photo of a Giant Squid, the foremost expert on Sherlock Holmes who is found mysteriously dead and we have to try and solve the mystery. All of these essays would translate brilliantly to the BBC model!
The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett
I could totally see a modern day take on this classic story, set in some old manor that feels like it’s from another time. It’s giving a diverse cast! It’s giving an interesting take on Colin’s disability (maybe a munchausen's plotline!) Definitely miniseries material.
Say Nothing, Patrick Radden Keefe
Say Nothing starring all the Irish greats. I’m talking Saoirse Ronan, Cillian Murphy, Paul Mescal, Colin Farrell, Brendan Gleason, Andrew Scott, Liam Neeson, the cast of Derry Girls, Stephen Rea as himself.
The Bass Rock, Evie Wyld
Following three women during three distinct time periods around the immoveable Bass Rock, this slow, character-driven novel has sharp edges! It's a perfect match for Masterpiece Theatre. The seascapes will visually enchant you and the cast of characters will surprise you with their depths. (Aatia)
To the Lighthouse, Virginia Woolf
A novel known for its sparse dialogue and having hardly any “action,” I’d love to see it brought to life in a mini series in three parts, one for each part of the book. 1) The Window 2) Time Passes 3) The Lighthouse. The plot of To the Lighthouse is not as important as the feelings and emotions each character experiences throughout. Most of the book is written in observations and quiet thoughts, and I can just imagine the tranquility present in each scene. The fact that it takes place on a rocky coast in Scotland (one of my favorite places on earth) is the reason I read it in the first place, and the possibilities for landscape and aesthetic coastal shots are endless.
Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan
This book is apparently already in development as a movie, which Cillian Murphy will apparently be starring in, but I think this book is so good that we could still have a Masterpiece theater TV movie! This book (or novella, really), set around Christmas follows a normal Irish man in 1985 who discovers something sinister happening at the local convent, and has to decide whether or not to do something about it. It’s so powerful and slim that I think so much could be done with it. And we could have all the amazing Irish actors come back for this one as well: Saoirse, maybe Ruth Negga, Fiona Shaw, Kerry Condon, Jessie Buckley… so much room for women in this story!
