Deborah Ayorinde on Embracing the Grace of Elinor Dashwood In 'Sense & Sensibility'

The Americana sheen of the Hallmark Channel makes it one of the last places to look for Anglophile-friendly content. Sure, we all love their cozy Christmas movies about overworked big-city girls who are reminded of the simple joys of small-town living and reconnect with handsome former high school crushes who now wear a lot of flannel. However, they’re very much their own thing. But given Hallmark’s near-obsessive focus on stories about romance and love, it’s surprising it took this long for the network to attempt a Jane Austen adaptation. With its new Sense & Sensibility, that finally changes — but with the addition of a welcome, contemporary twist.

Presented under the network’s Mahogany banner — which aims to celebrate and uplift Black culture — this Sense & Sensibility looks quite different from its predecessors. Not only is the Dashwood family portrayed by a quartet of Black actresses, but several of the story’s other major characters, including suitors Colonel Brandon (Akil Largie) and Willoughby (Victor Hugo) and acquaintance Lucy Steele (Victoria Ekanoye). It seems surprising that this hasn't happened before in the Year of our Lord 2024, but here we are.

The film is a remarkably faithful adaptation, complete with a Regency period setting, sumptuous costumes, and a focus on the relationship between the sisters at its center. Admittedly, it’s not a particularly race-conscious version of Austen’s classic; however, the representation inherent in allowing a new subset of readers the chance to see themselves in a story they love is a powerful thing.