Classics Revisited: 'Cranford' is Basically the Period Drama 'Avengers'

As part of our "Classics Revisited" series, we're taking a look back at some of our favorite series and movies from days gone by. Next up: The 2007 BBC adaptation Cranford, a whimsical, quirky series that follows the lives of the residents of the eponymous market village in Cheshire, and a show that feels like it's been essentially assembled in a lab to appeal to every kind of period drama fan.

Lest anyone mistake me, I mean that in the best way possible. Cranford is, at its heart, essential and deeply cozy comfort viewing, the story of a small town that's deeply resistant to change and the surprisingly big-hearted women who reside there. Bedecked in ribboned frilly bonnets and luxe shawls, they share gossip and render judgment about the town's declining social mores. Perhaps there's simply no way a show that contains this many recognizable British heavyweight actors could ever be bad, but, oh, if this isn't even better than you could have ever hoped for. Even if, as shows like this go, comparatively little of note happens in actual narrative arcs for most of its characters.

But it hardly matters. The joy of Cranford lies in watching its powerhouse cast spin gold out of the most seemingly mundane conversations and scenes. Judi Dench, Eileen Atkins, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie, Julia Sawalha, Jim Carter, Lesley Manville, Franchesca Annis, Michael Gambon, Alex Jennings, Philip Glenister, and Andrew Buchan all on the same show? This is an all-star team-up of such proportions that I'm hard-pressed to think of any similar series that can match it. If period dramas, as a genre, had an Avengers Initiative, this would be it.