Dominic West as Jean Valjean; Lily Collins as Fantine; and David Oyelowo as Inspector Javert. PBS’s ‘Les Misérables‘ premieres Sunday, April 14, on PBS and on local member stations like KERA’s Channel 13 in North Texas. (Photo courtesy: PBS Masterpiece)

Yes, I know Game of Thrones returns Sunday on “another network” and yes, I know, it has been almost two years since the last episode.

But we’re also talking Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Misérables, premiering Sunday on PBS in a six-part adaptation by multi award-winning screenwriter Andrew Davies. Trust me — it has all the tragedy, misfortune, love and visuals that GoT has but, oh yeah, it’s also epic.

Dominic West stars as fugitive Jean Valjean; with David Oyelowo as his pursuer, Inspector Javert; and Lily Collins as the luckless single mother Fantine.

» RELATED | Les Misérables — the latest ‘Masterpiece’ epic headed to PBS and BBC

Love, death, and the struggle for social justice in early 19th-century France feature in this brilliantly faithful retelling of one of the world’s most beloved stories.

The British cast also includes:

• Adeel Akhtar (The Night Manager, Murdered By My Father) as Monsieur Thénardier
• Academy Award winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite, Murder On The Orient Express, The Night Manager, Broadchurch) as Madame Thénardier
• Ellie Bamber (Nocturnal Animals, Pride And Prejudice And Zombies) as Cosette
• Josh O’Connor (The Durrells in Corfu) as Marius
• Erin Kellyman (Raised By Wolves) as Éponine

Here’s a behind-the-scenes clip of a few stories and thoughtful insights from the cast about their characters and  about Andrew Davies’ epic adaptation of the Victor Hugo classic:

How to watch

Les Misérables premieres Sunday at 8 p.m. Central, both on-air and online. The series runs every Sunday for six weeks, with the final episode airing on Sunday, May 19. Or, you can binge all six parts online on your own schedule with PBS Passport, starting the night of the premiere. That’s an added benefit of being a member of your local PBS station — Tellyspotting’s is KERA in North Texas, for instance.

No matter how you choose to watch, have a healthy supply of tissues handy.

In: Drama

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