Cranford
By Marshall Fine
Rating:
Sunday, May 4, 9PM, PBS
Ooo, grrl power rules in rural England of the Victorian era. OK, so that's a stretch. But women absolutely hold the reins of power in the little town of Cranford in the 1840s - and none with more stern-eyed firmness than Eileen Atkins ("Evening"). She and her sister (Judi Dench) are at the center of the gossip circle and decision-making for the insulated little town, where the arrival of a cute new doctor (Simon Woods, "Rome") is enough to make local hearts flutter. This three-part miniseries is equal parts romance and subtle comedy, with the older women alternately advising and impeding the younger ones. The men, meanwhile, are either clueless or stubborn - or both. It's a witty, enjoyable take on small-town life that is true today as it was 160 years ago.
More Reviews
True Blood
Take a bite of this hot, funny new series - set in an alternative Louisiana, where vampires have come out of the coffin because they've learned to curb their killer instincts.
Take a bite of this hot, funny new series - set in an alternative Louisiana, where vampires have come out of the coffin because they've learned to curb their killer instincts.
The Shield
TV's toughest cop show heads into the home stretch with a closing season called "The Final Act."
TV's toughest cop show heads into the home stretch with a closing season called "The Final Act."
Fringe
An FBI agent deals with a supercorporation that's playing with dangerous ideas like time travel and matter transformation.
An FBI agent deals with a supercorporation that's playing with dangerous ideas like time travel and matter transformation.
Gossip Girl
TV's snarkiest, trashiest nighttime teen soap comes back for Season 2 - and, after a stop in the Hamptons, gets back to Manhattan for the real action.
TV's snarkiest, trashiest nighttime teen soap comes back for Season 2 - and, after a stop in the Hamptons, gets back to Manhattan for the real action.
Samurai Girl
The daughter of a powerful Japanese industrialist finds herself on her own after ninjas interrupt her arranged marriage to a stranger.
The daughter of a powerful Japanese industrialist finds herself on her own after ninjas interrupt her arranged marriage to a stranger.
America's Next Top Model
It's the 11th season for this exercise in Tyra Banks worship - so how better to attract attention to an aging concept than to spice it up with controversy?
It's the 11th season for this exercise in Tyra Banks worship - so how better to attract attention to an aging concept than to spice it up with controversy?
Raising the Bar
Mark-Paul Gosselaar stars in a new legal drama about the push and pull between the NYC district attorney's and public defender's offices
Mark-Paul Gosselaar stars in a new legal drama about the push and pull between the NYC district attorney's and public defender's offices
Prison Break
What used to be one of the best series on TV takes a wrong turn to start its fourth season.
What used to be one of the best series on TV takes a wrong turn to start its fourth season.
Tabatha's Salon Takeover
Gordon Ramsay makes over failing restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares, and now former Shear Genius contestant Tabatha Coffey gives the same treatment to hair salons.
Gordon Ramsay makes over failing restaurants on Kitchen Nightmares, and now former Shear Genius contestant Tabatha Coffey gives the same treatment to hair salons.
Greek
It's season two of this popular series - and the school year still isn't over yet.
It's season two of this popular series - and the school year still isn't over yet.
Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency
Reality TV's biggest boss-from-hell returns for her fourth season, trying to keep her agency afloat after dumping her business partner.
Reality TV's biggest boss-from-hell returns for her fourth season, trying to keep her agency afloat after dumping her business partner.
Dear Prudence
On a vacation in Wyoming to get away from the demands of her TV show, household-hints guru Prudence McCoy discovers that a suicide may actually be a murder.
On a vacation in Wyoming to get away from the demands of her TV show, household-hints guru Prudence McCoy discovers that a suicide may actually be a murder.
The Cho Show
It worked for Kathy Griffin - so can outrageous comedian Margaret Cho use the reality-show format to pump up her career?
It worked for Kathy Griffin - so can outrageous comedian Margaret Cho use the reality-show format to pump up her career?
Little Girl Lost: The Delimar Vera Story
Judy Reyes and Ana Ortiz star in the true story of a Philadelphia woman whose family crumbles after a fire destroys their home and kills her 10-day old daughter.
Judy Reyes and Ana Ortiz star in the true story of a Philadelphia woman whose family crumbles after a fire destroys their home and kills her 10-day old daughter.
True Confessions of a Hollywood Starlet
What happens when a spoiled young actress must dial back the entitled attitude and the life of luxury to deal with life as an ordinary kid?
What happens when a spoiled young actress must dial back the entitled attitude and the life of luxury to deal with life as an ordinary kid?
How to Look Good Naked
Now in its second season, this may be the most valuable reality show on TV.
Now in its second season, this may be the most valuable reality show on TV.
Reality Bites Back
Michael Ian Black gathered 10 unknown comedians in a house for a spoof of elimination reality shows.
Michael Ian Black gathered 10 unknown comedians in a house for a spoof of elimination reality shows.
The 7 Wonders of China
Most people don't have the big bucks it takes to kick it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics next week - but a lot of them have a yen to visit the world's biggest country, or at least its highlights.
Most people don't have the big bucks it takes to kick it at the 2008 Beijing Olympics next week - but a lot of them have a yen to visit the world's biggest country, or at least its highlights.
Mad Men
The best new series of 2007, about a Madison Avenue ad agency in the early 1960s, returns for its 2nd season, with a great leap forward - in time.
The best new series of 2007, about a Madison Avenue ad agency in the early 1960s, returns for its 2nd season, with a great leap forward - in time.
The Dog Whisperer
The loud mouth - Kathy Griffin - meets the whisperer - Cesar Millan, who tries to tame Kathy and her misbehaving dogs.
The loud mouth - Kathy Griffin - meets the whisperer - Cesar Millan, who tries to tame Kathy and her misbehaving dogs.
