PBS’ New Coke
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- January
- 24
Have you seen Gillian Anderson as the new hostess of PBS’ “Masterpiece Theatre�? I must confess I’m not loving her. She is a talented actress and has an arresting presence that she used to heartbreaking effect as a calcified Victorian aristocrat in “Masterpiece’s� “Bleak House.� (If you missed it, it’s available on DVD and worth every minute.)
As “Masterpiece� hostess, she looks tight and obvious reading from a teleprompter. The swirling red backdrop doesn’t help.
The beauty of Alistair Cooke and Russell Baker as the previous hosts  preceded each week by a parade of marvelous souvenirs of “Masterpiece� triumphs, accompanied by “The Prince of Denmark� march  was that you felt they were talking with you. Perhaps that’s because they were writers. Generally, writers make very good readers, especially of their own material.
This theory has its limits. Actress Diana Rigg was a superb hostess of PBS’ “Mystery!�. Dressed in her own soigné outfits amid the sets of the various “Mystery!� miniseries, Rigg made you feel as if she were entertaining you at home.
I know, I know: “Masterpiece� is trying to be hip and hot for the Internet crowd. But the move betrays a bit of desperation and risks alienating a core audience that will always prefer Classic to New Coke.
This entry was posted
on Thursday, January 24th, 2008 at 5:22 pm by Georgette Gouveia.
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She’s no Alistair Cookie.
No, that’s not a typo.
Yeah, but don’t ‘cha just love redheads?