'Alice & Jack' to Debut on 'Masterpiece' in March

Masterpiece has finally revealed the premiere date for Alice & Jack, nearly six months after the PBS anthology series acquired it just ahead of its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in August 2023. At the time, the romantic drama was announced as slated to air in "Spring 2024," but as PBS tends to air Masterpiece shows in both the mid-March and the late April/early May berths in the spring, that was a broad window. Moreover, Masterpiece had several series mentioned in conjunction with and then confirmed for Spring 2024 already, including Nolly and MaryLand, not to mention Call The Midwife Season 13, which was confirmed to return to its usual March debut slot.

However, with Alice & Jack now confirmed for a mid-March 2024 debut, the schedule is now coming into focus. The contemporary-set, adult-oriented series, which has six episodes, will debut in the 10 p.m. ET slot on most PBS stations, airing weekly through April 21, 2024. Call The Midwife, which runs its usual eight episodes, will debut the same night at 8 p.m. ET and run from mid-March to mid-May. That leaves Nolly and MaryLand, at three installments each, to run in the 9 p.m. ET berth back-to-back, with Nolly airing from March 17-March 31 and MaryLand from April 7-April 21, 2024. That leaves the late April slots at 9 p.m. and 10 p.m. ET open for two more series to come this spring.

As for Alice & Jack, Masterpiece debuted first-look photos from the series along with the release date.

Created and written by Golden Globe and Cannes Bronze Lion winner Victor Levin (Mad Men), Alice & Jack has a pedigreed cast. American Andrea Riseborough (The Witness for the Prosecution), an Oscar nominee who is more likely than not to be cast in British films, plays Alice, with Domhnall Gleeson (son of Brendan Gleeson) as Jack, in this contemporary set love story. Both stars are also producers on the project, along with Levin and lead director Juho Kuosmanen (Compartment 6).

Here's the show's synopsis:

Alice & Jack is a love story for the ages. When Alice and Jack first meet they’re bound by a connection so powerful it seems nothing can break it, but will their path lead them to a place of happiness and togetherness? Or will life and their own emotional complexities get in the way? Honest, intimate, and surprisingly funny, the series shows love in all its unexpected, technicolor, kaleidoscopic beauty.

Gleeson and Riseborough are joined by co-stars Aisling Bea (Doctor Who), Aimee Lou Wood (Sex Education), and Sunil Patel (Stath Lets Flats). Director Hong Khaou (Lilting) helmed the series along with Kuosmanen. Alice & Jack is an independent UK production from Channel 4 and Fremantle, with Rebecca Dundon and Hilary Martin executive producing. Tracy O’Riordan produces for Me + You Productions, with Richard Yee and Krishnendu Majumdar executive producing along with Michael London and Shannon Gaulding for Groundswell Productions; Lorenzo De Maio for De Maio Entertainment, plus Simpson for Masterpiece. 

Alice & Jack will premiere on Sunday, March 17, 2024, at 10 p.m. ET on most PBS stations, following the debuts of Call the Midwife Season 13 and Nolly at 8 and 9 p.m. ET respectively. All six episodes will arrive on PBS Passport the same day for members. As always, check your local listings.