Masterpiece Completes Its Sprawling 'The Forsyte Saga' Cast

Though many of us may poke gentle fun at shows like HBO's The Gilded Age for their constantly expanding cast rosters the truth is that part of the appeal of period drama, as a genre, is its expansive sense of scope. From recreating the technical details of specific historical periods to showing us a glimpse of the many kinds of people who populate them, the best period stories are the ones that occasionally feel full to bursting with characters, and with lives that feel as though they continue well beyond the moments we watch them onscreen.

The Forsyte Saga is an oft-cited example of the best version of such a series, a drama that spans multiple generations and several decades. Previously adapted for television from John Galway's novels in both 1967 and 2002, this sprawling, messy story of a wealthy family in 1880s London boasts over half a dozen main characters and a plot that features everything from romance and betrayal to scandal and naked ambition.

Both previous versions were big hits for both the BBC in the U.K and public television here in the States, so it's fairly unsurprising that, twenty years later, PBS's Masterpiece has decided the time has come to take a crack at updating this classic for a new era, complete with a fairly massive cast, a buzzy production partner in U.K.'s Mammoth Screen (Victoria) and a lush visual feel.