The BBC version of Elizabeth Gaskell's "Cranford" a few years back was mostly about Dame Judi and her spinster cronies and their unbecoming bonnets, but this wonderful series, based on Mrs. G's last novel, focuses on the younger generation: Roger Hamley, the old squire's younger son, seems like a perfect match for Molly Gibson, the doctor's daughter; he's a budding naturalist, she reads Lamarck and other serious works; they both enjoy looking at pondwater through the microscope. The problem is that Molly's father has just remarried, which brings Cynthia, a vivacious, not-so-serious stepsister, into the picture; before he sets out on a lengthy expedition, Roger proposes to Cynthia. This leaves Molly with plenty of time to help the other characters sort things out—Cynthia's unfortunate entanglement with a caddish young striver (Iain Glen, currently seen on "Game of Thrones"), Roger's older brother's estrangement from their temperamental father (a perfect part for Michael Gambon; twenty years after Waterloo, the old squire's still hatin' on the French).Master adapter Andrew Davies, assisted by a near-perfect cast, really gets us involved in such no-longer-burning questions as whether a young lady who's "lost her character" by talking with a young man in a secluded spot could get it back by swanning around town for an afternoon with a peer's daughter; Rosamund Pike is charming, and gets to wear the best costumes, as the latter (I wanted to call her the duchess ex machina, but I think she's just the daughter of an earl). Francesca Annis is clearly enjoying herself in the role of Molly's stepmother, Hyacinth, a scheming, moralizing ex-governess; Dad seems to find her adorable, because she's not the boss of him and, despite the unflattering Mid-Victorian coiffure, she's still Francesca Annis. Though Mrs. Gaskell was a reformer and a progressive on the issues of her day—she clearly approves of Molly and Cynthia's ladylike revolt against the town's gossips and prigs—it's interesting that she weighs in on the current stay-at-home-mom debate by portraying Cynthia as a fractious adolescent who resents her mother for "abandoning" her to go to work as a governess.Justine Waddell may be a bit too glamorous for the part of Molly, but that doesn't strike me as a dealbreaker; Keeley Hawes, who seems to have had a corner on out-of-control ingenue roles that year (see "The Last September"), is just right for Cynthia. Available on streaming Netflix and Amazon Prime.

JUSTINE WADDELL gives a charming, completely believable performance as young Molly Gibson, supposedly the plainer of the two heroines, overlooked by the leading man until the romantic ending. And the cast surrounding her is full of memorable character actors, including MICHAEL GAMBON who almost steal the show single-handedly with his gruff interpretation of the frustrated country squire, and BILL PATERSON as Molly's wise and sympathetic father.FRANCESCA ANNIS is a revelation as the giddy step-mother from hell, anxious to see her vain and shallow daughter (KEELEY HAWES) married to a man of wealth and position no matter what the circumstances are. But the flaw in the cast comes with Miss Hawes, who is seriously in need of dubbing to make her dialog clear to American viewers. She drops her voice mid-sentence in many a scene, barely above a whisper, and her enunciation is enough to drive Professor Higgins to distraction.She is the only element in the large cast that is worthy of any criticism. IAIN GLEN makes an impression as Mr. Preston, the mysterious figure in the story whose attraction to the shallow Cynthia (KEELEY HAWES) is hard to understand given that Justine Waddell is so enchanting as the "plain" heroine.Wonderfully produced in the best British tradition and based on the book by Elizabeth Glaskell, it's visually striking and set against backgrounds and settings that perfectly capture the period atmosphere.For lovers of Victorian melodrama, this is a must see with an excellent background score. It could have used a stronger ending for the final scene in the rain, but it's satisfying enough on all other counts.

"Wives and Daughters" is cut from the same cloth as "The Forsyte Saga" or "Mansfield Park" inasmuch as it is a Victorian soap opera about the this and that of 19th century English country life. The film centers on and swirls about Molly Gibson (Waddell), the somewhat plain but earnest teenage daughter of a physician, as it explores the ever crisscrossing lives of several neighboring families of varying station. A delightful look at the role of the distaff from matron to maid which imparts the flavor of the period, "Wives and Daughters" is a light-hearted drama laced with charm and wit which should appeal to anyone into films of the robust Victorian period. (B+)

I have been a lover of period dramas for many years but I have to say that this is my all time favorite. Forget Pride and Prejudice, forget Sense and Sensibility, Wives and Daughters has to be the best one I have ever seen!I loved the cast, the story, the setting everything. The story of Molly Gibson was wonderful, and I've never enjoyed a period drama quite so much! Me and Molly fell in love with Rodger and Osbourn together, and the hellish step mother story was wonderful. Coupled with her loving father this drama really gives you that warm glow inside. It was a pleasure to watch when it first came out, and is still a pleasure to watch on video.