The PBS series, Downton Abbey premieres this week, and it’s one in a long line of very popular programs that the network has produced. How do they find shows like Downton Abbey, Sherlock, Brideshead Revisited, and Poldark? What goes into choosing which programs make it on the air? And how has the format for “Masterpiece” affected commercial network programming through the years? We talk to the producer of the series and also to a TV expert about these issues.
Guest Information:
- Rebecca Eaton, Executive Producer, the “Masterpiece” series for PBS out of WGBH, Boston, author of the book, Making Masterpiece
- Robert Thompson, Professor of Television and Popular Culture, the Newhouse School, Syracuse University
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