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It’s been almost a year since Amazon stole PBS’s Downton Abbey away from Netflix, and as of July 1, even more Masterpiece titles and classic PBS series are disappearing from Netflix’s library. So, it’s time to spend some quality streaming time with Casanova, Heathcliff and hot Prince Hal before it’s too late. Here are 5 PBS titles you should get on before Netflix takes them down.
1) Casanova
Today, David Tennant is internationally known as the Tenth Doctor and the star of Fox’s upcoming Broadchurch adaptation, Gracepoint. However, in 2005, he was just another skinny Scottish actor trying to make his way on stage and in BBC costume dramas. That’s when Russell T. Davies cast the largely unknown actor as his unlikely Casanova. Tennant wooed British television fans overnight with his wit and charm. It’s time he wooed you, too.
Also, it’s important to note that Casanova has had a long history of being taken on and off Netflix. We were especially sad to see that it’s leaving again because we just got it back.
Cary Fukunaga’s Jane Eyre is currently at the top of our Netflix queues, and the BBC’s most recent adaptation of Wuthering Heights makes a perfect companion piece. The miniseries boasts one of Tom Hardy’s last big British television roles before Hollywood stole him away. Fun fact: the actress playing Cathy is Charlotte Riley, Hardy’s long-time love. Okay, maybe that isn’t a fun fact if you want to fantasize about him.
Well, even if Tom Hardy doesn’t do it for you, The Walking Dead’s Andrew Lincoln appears in the production as Edgar Linton. But how could Hardy not do it for you?
Shakespeare Uncovered is a jewel of a documentary series that pairs famous faces with a specific Shakespearean tome. Ethan Hawke takes us through the world of MacBeth and the aforementioned David Tennant tackles Hamlet. However, the best singular episode might be when Jeremy Irons covers the later Henry plays (Henry IV Parts 1 & 2 and Henry V). At the time, Irons was co-starring with Tom Hiddleston in a lavish television production of those plays, and Irons takes us behind-the-scenes of the production.
Okay. Who are we kidding? We like that episode because we get to see Tom Hiddleston sprayed with water.
We’ve already sung the praises of The Forsyte Saga as not only an alternative to Downton Abbey, but as a replacement for the family drama you’re missing during Game of Thrones’shiatus. Sadly, you only have a short bit of time to catch the sprawling saga on Netflix before it gets taken down. Binge-watch it immediately; there’s no telling when you’ll get another chance to soak up his high-end soap opera.
Also, the make-out scenes are a lot dirtier and hotter in The Forsyte Saga than they are inDownton Abbey. (And they happen in the first few minutes.)
If you’re more apt to swoon over a sudden cash-flow than for true love, you might want to start binge-watching Antiques Roadshow ASAP. It, too, is being yoinked off of Netflix on July 1. Cable might be littered today with fortune hunting and appraisal shows, but Antiques Roadshow was the original, and we say the best. Where else can someone get so hyped up over antique vases?
Other great Masterpiece titles that are leaving July 1 include Inspector Lewis, Endeavor, The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Page Eight, Mansfield Park, Elizabeth I, The Virgin Queen & Great Expectations. There’s no official word on whether or not they’ll go to Amazon or to PBS’s own Roku channel*
One Masterpiece title not going anywhere? Sherlock. Netflix negotiated for the exclusive streaming rights to the popular British detective drama.
However, you best get streaming immediately if you want to catch any other Masterpiece titles on Netflix. Not even the great Mr. Holmes can solve the mystery of where they’re all going and when they’ll be back again.
*I can not recommend PBS’s free Roku channel enough for interesting finds like Hugh Jackman’s breakthrough performance in the National Theatre’s 1998 production of Oklahoma! or polarizing choreographer Matthew Bourne’s recent gothic take on Tchiakovsky’s Sleeping Beauty.
