My friends and I were watching this on Netflix, and we couldn't understand why they picked a girl to play a daughter to an English woman that was so obviously NOT English herself. We were saying, "her skin tone is off, and she looks almost Mexican???". Turns out, Paloma Baeza is this. What is wrong with picking English people to play English parts? Will an all white authentic cast make the show evil or racist? Shame on the directors of this film! This actress ruined the authenticity aspect of the show. Please take the time to contact directors of shows like this, and let them know you are hurt they do not choose authentic English people to play English parts. Outside of this, the show was very well done! David Suchet plays such amazingly convincing roles. From good guys, to bad guys... and everything in between.

If you watch Masterpiece Theatre with any frequency, you will long since have noticed that the BBC, which provides Masterpiece Theatre with its best material, seems to have access to an inexhaustible supply of superior actors -- mostly, though not all, British stage performers and mostly British trained. "The Way We Live Now" gives more proof of how deep BBC's acting bench is. David Suchet, the star of this series is familiar to American audiences for his portrayal of the fussy and fastidious Belgian detective, Hercule Poirot, created by Agatha Christie. The character he plays here could not possibly be more different than Poirot. He is a crude, unethical financier who seems large physically though Suchet is on the small side. Supporting Suchet is a sizable cast of actors, most of whom are complete unknowns to American audiences. They are all good and several of them are excellent. Where were Helen Mirren and Judi Dench before they became stars in Hollywood? Learning and applying their craft in Britain. Perhaps it is the acting schools and the repertory companies that turn these actors out in such profusion. Perhaps it is the quantity and quality of theaters and stage companies that give them opportunities unavailable in the U.S. Whatever the reason, the overall strength of the cast is what distinguishes this British TV series as it generally distinguishes British-made films from their American counterparts. American films may be superior in other respects but not for acting that merges effortlessly into the role.

The first rate sets, costumes and acting provide a lovely context for this complex web of love stories. Here are several love triangles that intersect and overlap.The plot lines took twists and turns like many great novels.From these hours a fascinating drama the various facets of human love were explored and exposed. Is it any wonder that romance can never fit nicely in any box? To marry for love or money and to marry with or without the blessing of parents are old themes that are explored effectively.Power, sex and romance are as powerful today as they have been anytime in history. And that makes the title of this movie all the more important.

Warning - I hated it.The entire time I was watching this, I kept feeling sorry for the poor set-construction crew. After each day's shooting ended, they only had around 12 hours to repair all of the serious damage caused by the actors chewing the scenery so hard; there must have been tooth-marks all over everything, and some of it was probably bitten right through. Perhaps they also had to keep a dental-hygenist on-set to assist with removing splinters from the actors teeth.The acting was generally atrocious, and I found Suchet's histrionics ghastly - it made me think of Jim Carrey going completely out of control, or Elizabeth Taylor's hysterics in "Suddenly Last Summer" - which people often mistake for serious acting. But I'd say that the primary responsibility for this shambles lies directly at the feet of a seriously incompetent and green director, and a surprisingly poor adaptation from Davies. I found it to be a horrible mess, and Trollope must be spinning in his grave.