Aidan Turner
Eleanor Tomlinson
Ruby Bentall
Bestie Edney
Jack Farthing

Created by:
Debbie Horsfield

Drama, History, Romance
2015-
PBS

TV-PG

“Poldark,” airing on PBS in this country, is a … well, can’t you guess? It’s (yet another) British period piece drama. This time, it’s a revival of sorts. The original “Poldark” aired in Great Britain during the 1970s. Both iterations are based on Winston Graham’s novels of the same name.

This latest television incarnation of Graham’s story airs before yet another British period piece drama, “The Crimson Field.” But unlike that show, “Poldark” begins properly. You see, it’s best to start by establishing the character and, in this case, his past and present. Ross Poldark, played by Aidan Turner of Peter Jackson’s “The Hobbit” film series, is known as a wastrel who went to fight for England in the American Revolutionary War. He wasn’t a fan. When he returns home, he finds his circumstances much changed. I won’t tell you how, but suffice it to say that he’s not in the best of positions. So, we get to know him and his family. We empathize with him.

From the beginning, this show fits right in with many other period pieces, both on TV and in film. I kept thinking of “Outlander” the most as I watched the first episode, though. Except that, instead of a female central character, here we have a male one. Oh, and there’s no time traveling, either. Let’s not forget that. But it feels similar, though certainly not exactly the same: This show is so earnest in its passions that it’s laughable, at times. But that actually makes it entertaining. 

“Poldark” has fairly solid writing and acting, too. Though, I wish that Turner wouldn’t go off-voice, every now and then, at the end of his lines. He’s still good and well-cast, but the little things matter. The shots of the English landscape are, as usual, beautifully presented.

“Poldark” is a show to settle into. You can sense that you’re in pretty good hands as its events progress. It’s a good summer soap opera. It won’t bowl you over, but it will transport you to the 1780s with some skill and commitment.

Verdict: Good

About: (Source: poldark)

Almost 40 years ago Captain Ross Poldark galloped across the TV screens of millions 
of PBS viewers, vexing villains and winning female hearts in one of MASTERPIECE’s earliest hit series, Poldark. Now the gallant captain rides again, allowing a new generation to delight in the exploits of an unconventional romantic hero.

Aidan Turner (The Hobbit) stars as Ross Poldark, a redcoat who returns to Cornwall after the American Revolutionary War to discover that his father is dead, his lands are ruined, and his true love is about to marry his first cousin. Also starring is Eleanor Tomlinson (Death Comes to Pemberley) as the fiery servant Demelza, a strong-willed miner’s daughter who runs away from home and finds refuge in Poldark’s enlightened household.

In a special appearance, Robin Ellis, who starred as Ross Poldark in MASTERPIECE’s original adaptation, plays Reverend Halse, the village’s sin-obsessed parson.
Poldark is based on a beloved series of novels by Winston Graham. The first, Ross Poldark, was published in 1945; the last, Bella Poldark, appeared in 2002, the year before Graham’s death. All twelve are subtitled A Novel of Cornwall and trace the fortunes of a landed, mine-owning family in windswept Cornwall.

The new Poldark airs in eight exciting episodes starting in June 2015 on MASTERPIECE on PBS.