'The Larkins' Episodes 1 and 2 Recap: "In Which We Meet the Larkins"/"In Which the Larkins Woo Charley the Tax Man"

Given everything happening in the world around us at the moment - global pandemic, new coronavirus variants, supply and production shortages, and all manner of other reminders that no matter how much we might want to be we're just not back to normal quite yet - it's no wonder viewers everywhere are seeking out comfort wherever they can find it. ('Tis the season fo Hallmark movies and hometown boys in sweater vests teaching us about the true meaning of Christmas.) This is a big part of the reason everyone's so excited for the return of All Creatures Great and Small on PBS Masterpiece next month - right now is just a great time to curl up with cozy TV and try not to think about...everything else.

And Acorn TV's new remake of the classic ITV family dramedy The Larkins fits that bill and then some.  A warm, low-stakes show about a heartwarmingly boisterous family and their various misadventures in 1950s Kent, this is a perfect antidote to the bleaker, prestige titles spread across your dial. The cast is charming - particularly former Doctor Who companion Bradley Walsh as the Larkin family patriarch and Bridgerton alum Sabrina Bartlett as his eldest daughter - and its gentle plots almost always seem to revolve around the Larkins pulling together in some way in order to triumph,

You'll probably be able to tell within the first few scenes that The Larkins is a product of Simon Nye, best known these days as the mind behind the equally sweet and generally unambitious family drama The Durrells in Corfu. Where that series was buoyed by gorgeous Greek landscapes and adorable animals, The Larkins makes do with beautiful Kentish countryside and the occasional farm animal. But, it's hard to imagine that there won't be viewers out there desperate for just the sort of gentle warmth and low stakes satisfaction this show provides.