Ask Matt

Matt Roush: That final chapter was heartbreakingly good, wasn't it? The best thing of its ilk (i.e., classic drama) I've seen since John Adams wrapped is the upcoming three-part Masterpiece Classic miniseries that starts May 4: Cranford, starring Judi Dench and Eileen Atkins among a gallery of delightful British character actors. (My review of that will be posted later this week.) Based on stories that were completely new to me (by Elizabeth Gaskill), this is a Dickensian heartwarmer about an isolated village in the mid-1800s that's about to be jolted into the "modern" world with the arrival of a railroad. In the meanwhile, this town of gossipy busybodies deals with the everyday travails of rural life, with tragedies and romance and all of the stuff of great storytelling. As in Dickens, the story deals directly with class differences, making us care equally about everyone from a family of poachers to the poshest ladies of the manor. I was entertained and moved throughout all five hours. Cranford is as good and as thoroughly enjoyable as anything I've seen on TV lately, including John Adams, and I can't recommend it highly enough. (Masterpiece has been on a winning streak just about all year.)