A fresh trio of Masterpiece dramas premiere in January, starting with Sherlock on Masterpiece on New Year’s Day at 8 p.m., followed in the coming weeks by the new series Victoria, and the second season of Mercy Street.
GAME CHANGER
Season 4 of Sherlock begins with “The Six Thatchers,” which finds the famously manic and brilliant Holmes (Benedict Cumberbatch) back on British soil and once again facing antagonists and his own demons. Meanwhile, his friend and colleague John Watson (Martin Freeman) and his wife, Mary (Amanda Abbington), are expecting their first child. As with 2016’s “Abominable Bride,” each Season 4 episode will air in the U.S. and Britain on the same day.
In addition to the season-opening adaptation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s “The Adventure of the Six Napoleons” – which, like it’s predecessor, starts with a miscreant smashing busts of the titular political figure – this fresh batch of Sherlock episodes includes “The Lying Detective” (based on “The Adventure of the Dying Detective”) airing 8 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 8, and “The Final Problem,” airing 6 p.m., Sunday, Jan. 15.
“Sherlock: The Final Problem,” the season conclusion, will be shown at three Nashville movie theaters – the Regal Hollywood Stadium 27 (100 Oaks), The Regal Green Hills Stadium 16 and the Regal Opry Mills Stadium 20 – at 7 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 16, and Wednesday, Jan. 18. NPT is giving away five pairs of tickets for each day’s shows; check our website and social media for details.
COURTSIDE SEATS
We had a spirited audience at our Dec. 11 “Victoria Preview Screening and Victorian Celebration” at the Franklin Theatre (see some of the great costumes here), so we’re especially excited about the two-hour television premiere of Victoria on Masterpiece on Sunday, Jan. 15, at 8 p.m. The multipart drama chronicles the legendary queen’s first years on the throne as she evolves from a sheltered 18-year-old into a confidant young woman leading a growing empire.
In this new series written by Daisy Goodwin, Victoria (Jenna Coleman) gains a valuable ally in Prime Minister Lord Melbourne (Rufus Sewell), but their closeness triggers a Parliamentary crisis. Later, Victoria meets and marries Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg-Gotha (Tom Hughes). Victoria on Masterpiece is a beautifully filmed, historically informed series full of the intrigue and glamour viewers came to love in Downton Abbey. Watch Sundays at 8 p.m., Jan. 15 through March 5 (with a break Feb. 26 for the Oscars).
LIFE IN WARTIME
PBS premiered its first original American drama in more than a decade in 2016; that series, Mercy Street, is back for a second season 7 p.m. Sundays from Jan. 22 through March 5 (with the exception of Feb. 26). Set in a military hospital in Union-occupied Alexandria, Va., Mercy Street deals with smallpox, an inquisitive detective, a former slave turned activist, numerous romances and a Rebel spy over this season’s six episodes. In the opener, the Mansion House staff rallies to save one of its own during a visit by President Abraham Lincoln amid a foiled assassination attempt.
This season’s directors include Stephen Cragg (“Scandal,” “Nashville,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “ER,” “Boston Legal,” “Grey’s Anatomy”); Laura Innes (“How to Get Away With Murder,” “The Affair,” “Brothers & Sisters,” “The West Wing,” “Grey’s Anatomy”); and Alexander Zakrzewski (“Bosch,” “Blacklist,” “Salem,” “The Good Wife,” “The Wire,” “Oz,” “NUMB3RS”).
Mercy Street was inspired by the stories of real people and in that spirit Tennessee State Museum curator Rob DeHart will write blog posts about each week’s episode highlighting a related object from the museum’s connection again this season.
Find our full programming schedule for NPT and NPT2 at http://www.wnpt.org/schedule/.