A Suitable Boy

After the early exposition, understandable given the number of characters, the programme settles into its stride. Where The Luminaries was gloomy and difficult to follow, A Suitable Boy is bright and comprehensible, thanks to Davies’ well trained eye for structure and Nair’s unobtrusive direction. While they can’t resist the hoary old attractions of trains and temples – there’s even a Holi festival thrown in – they build a semi-plausible world with a clear story.

Unfortunately, “A Suitable Boy” lacks the comedic touch of “Downton Abbey” or the critical lens of “The Crown,” languishing somewhere in the middle and coming up short. Without a defined perspective on the class and religious conflict it uses as a narrative backdrop, “A Suitable Boy” feels like frothy fluff — yummy in the moment but easily forgettable and won’t fill you up.