Mr Selfridge

Lynda X · Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 1250

From reading people's comments on AAR After Hours, it seems that everyone agrees that the series is very disappointing. You know you are in trouble when the best character is a store. Whoever did the settings and costumes deserves a raise because they save this series. The casting director should be fired. What ever caused him/her to hire the charmless Jeremy Priven who is unable to give ANY nuance to his character? Of course, it's hard when the script writer is incapable of producing a likable character. Yes, the shop girl in notions who is abused by her father is fairly likable, but she's on screen about 8 minutes an hour. I suspect that we're supposed to infer that Selfridge is haunted by poverty or a childhood trauma or witches--or something. Is his wife supposed to exemplify the "new woman" with her eagerness, in the face of Mr. Selfridge's infidelty, to go to the charming (but with a hint of the slum about it) apartment of strange man--and a bohemian, at that! It's a shame that the producers of this expensive series have no discernment.

Cora · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 1088 Location: Bremen, Germany

I gave up on Mr Selfridge after episode 1 or so.

The Paradise, another British series about a 19th century department store, came out last year and was so much better. Great chemistry between the store owner/founder (who is so much more handsome than Mr Selfridge) and one of his shopgirls, too.
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LinnieGayl · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 752

The best character is the store! Good one, Lynda X. And I slogged through the second episode but that's it for me. I have better things to do with my time.
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Tinabelle · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 853 Location: SE Wisconsin

I was rather surprised to hear that a 2nd series has been ordered. No one I know is anything but disappointed in what they have seen so far. Although there have been many series that I have enjoyed for years like Downtown Abbey, Foyle's War, MI-5, etc. sometimes I long for a series that actually completes its tale in a finite # of episodes. In the case of Mr. Selfridge, I would hate to see it taking up valuable on-air time on Masterpiece when other worthy shows are passed over.
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Lynda X · Joined: 05 Apr 2007 Posts: 1250

Cora, can you tell us more about THE PARADISE, please? I've tried looking it up at Amazon, but can't tell which of the many PARADISES it is. Who's in it? Is it a PBS series or just one program? I've very interested in the development of the department store, but MR. SELFRIDGE is pretty boring.

Cora · Joined: 12 Mar 2008 Posts: 1088 Location: Bremen, Germany

The Paradise is a BBC series that aired last autumn in the UK. No idea if it's been picked up in the US or by whom, though PBS or BBC America would be logical candidates.

Here is the official BBC site for The Paradise. And here is the trailer on YouTube. I enjoyed The Paradise quite a bit, even though I'm burned out by the glut of historical TV drama at the moment.
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Tinabelle · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 853 Location: SE Wisconsin

Anyone still watching this series? I am curious to know if episode 3 was any better than the first 2 episodes. I am still DVRing the shows but don't know if I'll watch. Although it will be tough to overcome my low opinion of Piven's acting and my dislike of many of the characters, I might continue to watch if the action picked up. Any thoughts?
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Trish B · Joined: 22 Mar 2007 Posts: 1110 Location: Mid-Atlantic, USA

Well, I have watched all three episodes so far, but only because I caught them on the repeat later in the week (Sunday night is Game of Thrones and Vikings night for me!). I echo all the criticism others have expressed and I lost interest in the first episode halfway through. But it has picked up a little. In episode 3 ballet dancer Anna Pavlova visits the store and a few little disasters occur. The Selfridges' marriage is also shaken and the shopgirl's troubled home life seeps into the store.

Bottomline, to me it's basically a soap opera set in a department store and if you don't care about the characters in it, it likely won't get any better!
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