South Riding: Season 1

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 7 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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7.0	User Score Generally favorable reviews based on 4 Ratings

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South Riding

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Season Details & Credits

BBC-1 | PBS | BBC | BBC One | Season Premiere Date: February 20, 2011

Summary: Masterpiece Classic features the three-part adaptation of Winifred Holtby's novel about Sarah Burton (Anna Maxwell Martin), who is the new headmistress at the fictional town of South Riding in Yorkshire after World War I. Her ideas clash with the locals, including Robert Carne (David Morrissey), a local landowner.

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

tbd
S1:E3. Episode Three
Air Date: March 6, 2011
tbd
S1:E3. South Riding: Episode 3
Air Date: May 15, 2011
tbd
S1:E2. Episode Two
Air Date: February 27, 2011

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Metascore

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Critic Reviews

Dorothy Rabinowitz

Apr 29, 2011

These are, in short, characters with a long literary-and Hollywood-pedigree. Which makes all the more impressive the vividness and mystery they bring to this series (adapted by Andrew Davies from a 1936 novel by Winifred Holtby)--thanks, needless to say, to extraordinarily seductive performances. Read full review

David Hinckley

May 2, 2011

South Riding creates memorable characters, particularly Burton and Carne, and it's beautifully filmed. Read full review

May 2, 2011

South Riding has everything you could want from a Masterpiece event: perfect period details, a forlornly gray surf, a swelling soundtrack, disputes over crunchy-gravel real estate, whistling trains and black-tie dinners in hotels, a believable and compelling story involving multiple characters and plots and a faithfulness to its original material that allows for a textured, even sorrowful, bleakness. Read full review

Mike Hale

Apr 29, 2011

Mr. Davies appears to have struggled with the material...But his dialogue is as sharp as ever, and there are excellent scenes between Sarah and Mrs. Beddows (Penelope Wilton), her champion on the school board, and Sarah and Robert (David Morrissey), the conservative landowner she wins to her side (in more ways than one). Read full review

Mary McNamara

May 2, 2011

For fans of the canon, South Riding is "Masterpiece" comfort food, enjoyable enough in the moment, but melting away to nothing but sugar and fat by morning. Read full review

Brian Lowry

Apr 28, 2011

As is, South Riding (named for its fictional community in Yorkshire) is a handsome production, but not an especially memorable one--conjuring only a few moments worthy of the "Masterpiece" pedigree before riding into the sunset. Read full review

David Wiegand

Apr 26, 2011

If only Holtby and screenwriter Andrew Davies hadn't larded the story with so many cliches, not to mention people who seem like second-rate versions of characters created by Jane Austen and Charlotte Bronte. Read full review

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TVTX

Jun 6, 2011

For the most part, I liked it, but it was very much derivative of the Jane Eyre plot line, just updated a bit. After watching the 3 hours, I was disappointed with the ending, otherwise, I would have rated it higher. It seemed like that the outcome for each of the characters was shown in aFor the most part, I liked it, but it was very much derivative of the Jane Eyre plot line, just updated a bit. After watching the 3 hours, I was disappointed with the ending, otherwise, I would have rated it higher. It seemed like that the outcome for each of the characters was shown in a sudden flash forward sequence, with only seconds for each one. Luckily, I have a DVR and could go back and check what had actually happened to each. Up until the end, I enjoyed the acting the dialogue and the characters quite a bit.… Expand

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Seasons & Episodes

62

Series Overview
Season 1

62
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: February 20, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode Three
  Air Date: March 6, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E3. South Riding: Episode 3
  Air Date: May 15, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E2. Episode Two
  Air Date: February 27, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E2. South Riding: Episode 2
  Air Date: May 8, 2011
- tbd
  S1:E1. Episode One
  Air Date: February 20, 2011