Television Exports

This essay considers the presence, role and significance of British drama on US television screens. Drawing on original archival research, it focuses on PBS and its acclaimed series Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present). Taking into account how this long-running series has evolved in relation to changes in the broadcasting landscape, the essay analyses how Masterpiece Theatre schedules and promotes the British dramas it acquires, and how the assimilation into US broadcasting and PBS branding contexts transforms these dramas, before considering how these imports are consumed and received by both US viewers and critics. Challenging some of the prevailing perceptions of Masterpiece Theatre, the central argument is that Masterpiece Theatre and the discourses surrounding it are marked by a sense of tension that has so far not received enough critical recognition.

This essay considers the presence, role and significance of British drama on US television screens. Drawing on original archival research, it focuses on PBS and its acclaimed series Masterpiece Theatre (1971–present). Taking into account how this long-running series has evolved in relation to changes in the broadcasting landscape, the essay analyses how Masterpiece Theatre schedules and promotes the British dramas it acquires, and how the assimilation into US broadcasting and PBS branding contexts transforms these dramas, before considering how these imports are consumed and received by both US viewers and critics. Challenging some of the prevailing perceptions of Masterpiece Theatre, the central argument is that Masterpiece Theatre and the discourses surrounding it are marked by a sense of tension that has so far not received enough critical recognition.