Alcott’s ‘Little Women’ on PBS is reimagined, yet familiar
Returning to the March family home is like collapsing into the arms of an old friend.
Warm, idyllic and impeccably acted, PBS Masterpiece’s new adaptation of Little Women (Sunday and May 20,
9 ET/PT, times may vary, ★★★☆) is a beautiful if slight interpretation of Louisa May Alcott’s classic novel about four sisters growing up poor in
19th-century Massachusetts.
We didn’t need another adaption of the book, which has already been made into three films, including one in
1994 starring Winona Ryder and Susan Sarandon. It’s been brought to the stage and assigned to countless highschool English classes. But just because we don’t need something sweet and comforting doesn’t mean we shouldn’t indulge. And Little Women is a welcome indulgence.
The three-hour miniseries hits all the major points: Amy (Kathryn Newton) burns Jo’s (Maya Hawke) book, Beth (Annes Elwy) gets terribly sick with scarlet fever and Meg (Willa Fitzgerald) marries Mr. Brooke (Julian Morris). But the new version takes some liberties with its interpretations of the characters. Beth’s shyness is portrayed as social anxiety. And be- cause the actresses are all of similar ages, Amy’s immaturity often comes off as entitled brattiness.
Overall, the four young stars have great chemistry and give the adaptation verve and life. Hawke excels in the complicated and foundational role of Jo, the adventurous tomboy and de facto protagonist. The daughter of Ethan Hawke and Uma Thurman comes out swinging in her debut role, imbuing Jo with a quiet energy and a desperation for something more than her small life.
Women is the rare piece of American literature to be adapted for the BBC, which aired the series last Christmas. There are moments when some of its British cast, including Emily Watson as Marmee, Michael Gambon as Mr. Laurence and Angela Lansbury as Aunt March, struggle with their accents, but the British sensibility works for Women. The actors spit wordy, period dialogue with delight, and the lazy, airy pacing and jingly score are fitting and easily identifiable for any Masterpiece devotee.
Fans recently acquainted with the book might be perturbed by the changes, but going in cold is preferable. The miniseries, from writer Heidi Thomas ( Call the Midwife), focuses less on plot details (although a certain tragedy hits just as hard as always) and more on the impressions and feelings this family gives.
If the new adaptation gets one thing right, it’s that the Marches are everything you hope and wish a family could be.