‘Poldark’ – 6 reasons to look forward to June 21 on PBS!


While we continue to belabor the notion that we must find the ‘next’ Downton Abbey quickly (I know, the DA body isn’t even cold yet and we’re desperately seeking a replacement), the current heir-apparent, Poldark, is just around the corner, premiering on PBS’ Masterpiece series beginning Sunday, June 21 at 9:00p ET/8:00p CT. For those either not familiar with the series or those that may only remember it from some 40 years ago, Masterpiece has provided us six reasons to believe we may have found the Grail in Poldark. As you can see, Poldark just may have it all. Thoughts?

Six things to look forward to in Poldark, according to PBS’ Masterpiece

1. Aidan Turner
The Irish veteran of the UK series Being Human and The Hobbit films, quips, “I’ve done the holy trinity. I’ve played a vampire and a werewolf and a dwarf….And as much fun as it is—it was great!—it was nice to play a human being.” As the all-too human Ross Poldark, he gallops along the mighty cliffs of Cornwall, broods over lost love, and works the fields with gusto, smoldering all the while!

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2. Love Triangle
There’s Elizabeth, Poldark’s ravishing and refined childhood sweetheart. There’s Demelza, the fiercely independent street urchin turned kitchen maid. And at the darkly passionate center of the triangle is Ross Poldark, torn between the two.

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3. Dramatic locations
Cornwall’s wild, wind-swept moors and dizzying clifftops, backlit by the sparkling sea, rival star Aidan Turner (Ross Poldark) in their breathtaking, romantic ruggedness!

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4. Villains
Pompous, wig-bearing baddies count money and plot hostile takeovers. They’re self-made, they’re wiley..they’re the Warleggans.

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5. Pride and Prejudice
Our hero, Ross Poldark, is principled non-conformist who could be undone by his Darcy-ish pride. Our heroine, Demelza, is the victim of prejudice. (And, in a delightfully different P&P connection, Eleanor Tomlinson, the actress who portrays Demelza, recently starred as Georgiana in Death Comes to Pemberley on Masterpiece.)

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6. What Viewers Loved in the Original Series
…Including the original Ross Poldark, Robin Ellis, as Reverend Halse! Ellis, star of the 1975-1977 series, was so famous that at the series’ height, he was mobbed, Beatles-style, by crazed fans. In addition to their original swashbuckling, swoon-worthy heartthrob, the Poldark reboot shares source material (the novels of Winston Graham); dramatic Cornish landscapes; and all the thrills and romance of the 1970s classic.

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Replacement for Downton Abbey aside, Poldark looks amazing. And, the good news is that it has already been commissioned by the BBC for a second series. It’s worth a look.

Poldark begins Sunday, June 21 at 9:00p ET / 8:00p CT on PBS’ Masteriece.


In: Drama