Elizabeth McGovern Film ‘The Chaperone’ to Air on Masterpiece This November

Hayley Lu Richardson and Elizabeth McGovern in "The Chaperone" (Photo: Courtesy of MASTERPIECE)

Mark your calendars, period drama fans: The film adaptation of Laura Moriarty’s The Chaperone, starring Downton Abbey alum Elizabeth McGovern, is coming to PBS Masterpiece next month.

The film follows the real-life story of actress Louise Brooks and tells a fictionalized account of her travels from Wichita, Kansas to New York City, where she attended the Denishawn School of Dancing and Related Arts. She’s accompanied on this journey by local society matron Norma Carlisle (McGovern), and the developing relationship between the two forms the spine of the movie.

The film will air the weekend before Thanksgiving, on Sunday, November 24, 2019.

The Edge of Seventeen's Haley Lu Richardson stars opposite McGovern as Louise, and the two women are joined by a cast that includes Campbell Scott, Géza Röhrig, Miranda Otto and Blythe Danner.

The film had a brief theatrical run earlier this year, and his been available to stream for PBS Passport members since early August.  (If you're an Amazon Prime user, it’s also available on Amazon Prime Video, as well.)

Watch the trailer for the film below. 

The Chaperone is based on Moriarty’s 2012 bestselling novel of the same name, and McGovern is hardly the only Downton connection it sports. The film was adapted by none other than Julian Fellowes himself, and Michael Engler directed it.

What do you think of The Chaperone? Will you be tuning in when it airs? Or have you already watched it via PBS Passport or Amazon Prime? Let us know your thoughts in the comments.  


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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