PBS at TCA: “Hamilton,” a “Poldark” Sandwich and Life After “Downton”

Indeed reflecting on the fact that she has been in her current position for ten years PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger pictured below during her press conference yesterday admitted that when she arrived amp8220there were some people that thought maybe public broadcastingamp8217s best days were behind itamp8221 She paused before addingamp160amp8220We had never heard of a place called Downton Abbeyamp8221Downton was trulyamp160a gamechanger but thatamp8217s all over now Of course PBS has known for the last few years that it would be beneficial to come up with a Masterpieceamp160project or two that might attract the same kind of attention as Downtonamp160Certainly the Sherlockamp160franchise has helped amp8211 and yesterday PBS announced that three new Sherlockamp160movies will premiere in early 2017 Meanwhile last yearamp8217s hit Poldarkamp160 which surprisingly generated huge Polbuzz amp8211 is set to begin its second season in September and a third season has been orderedamp160Poldarkamp160made an international star of its dashing leading man Aidan TurnerPBS is also betting on another new Masterpieceamp160entry titled Victoriaamp160an eighthour drama about Queen Victoria that begins when she ascends to the throne in 1837 at the age of 18 The title role is portrayed by Jenna Coleman an actress with a huge following because of her many years playing Clara the Doctoramp8217s most recent companion on Doctor WhoShowing off the continued strength of the Masterpieceamp160brand PBS presented backtoback panels with the casts of Poldarkamp160and Victoriaamp160the cumulative impact of which was the realization that PBS is suddenly unafraid to be overtly young and sexy In fact when introducing the beautiful actresses Eleanor Tomlinson and Heida Reed who play the two loves of Ross Poldark and Aidan Turner who was seated between them Masterpieceamp160executive producer declared amp8220Here we have a Poldark sandwichamp8221 Turner is sandwiched between Tomlinson and Reed belowSherlockamp160Poldarkamp160and Victoriaamp160along with continuing 1950s detective dramaamp160Grantchesteramp160also renewed for a third season and the returning Indian Summersamp160all have their strengths But together or separately these shows cannot be expected to fill the void left behind by the departure of Downtonamp160one of those unforgettable television experiences that canamp8217t be replicated and can be defined only as lightning in a bottlePBSamp8217 opening day wasnamp8217t limited to talk of Masterpieceamp160It included a panel for the upcoming Great Performancesamp160presentation of Hamiltonamp8217s America a session which in all likelihood will be looked back upon at the end of this tour as one of its most exciting Hamiltonamp8217s Americaamp160is a unique documentary that is not so much about the making of the Broadway phenomenon as it is about getting people excited about history and the impact the musical has had on young peopleamp160 Daveed Diggs pictured at top right with filmmaker Alex Horwitz and below with Horwitz and executive producer David Horn who recently won a Tony Award for his portrayal of Thomas Jefferson in the show was on hand to reminisce about what it was like to be a part of the Hamiltonamp160experience which included feeling amp8220like a Beatle for a blockamp8221 every night on 46th St when he left the theater and had to make his way through a crowd of screaming fans and meeting President Obama three times one of them while performing at the White HouseAsked how that felt Diggs39 answer said it all amp8220When Barack Obama comes up to you and says amp8216Daveed how are youamp8217 What You knowamp8221Another highlight of the day was a session with the countryamp8217s premiere documentarian Ken Burns who seems to turn up at PBS TCA presentations at least once a year with a new program to promote This time it was Defying the Nazis The Sharpsamp8217 Waramp160for which he served as codirector and executive producer It tells the story of Waitstill and Martha Sharp a Unitarian minister and his wife who in 1939 left their children in the care of their parish and went to Europe to save hundreds of political dissidents and Jewish refugees from the Nazis Burns was joined on stage by Artemis AW Joukowsky III the codirector and producer of the program and grandson of the Sharpsamp8220This is a project unlike any other that Iamp8217ve worked on in that when it was brought to me most of the shooting was doneamp8221 Burns explained amp8220All of the interviews were done A great deal of the archival research had been completed and Artemis was struggling to put a film together amp160I had known him for many many years We both attended the same college though Iamp8217m a decade older and so it was at first a kind of obligationamp8220I had a look at this thing and could see a diamond in the roughamp8221 he continued amp8220Over the last three years Iamp8217m working as you guys know onamp160many different projects at once late in the evenings or on weekends after the kids were asleep or when they were off playing I would work on this film and just try to make it betteramp8221The opinions and points of view expressed in this commentary are exclusively the views of the author and do not necessarily represent the views of MediaVillagecomMyersBizNet Inc management or associated bloggers

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PBS at TCA: “Hamilton,” a “Poldark” Sandwich and Life After “Downton”

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PBS at TCA: “Hamilton,” a “Poldark” Sandwich and Life After “Downton”

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