Our First Look at 'Miss Austen' Puts the Story of the Author Herself Center Stage

Jane Austen adaptations are a staple in the life of any Anglophile and, as such, we're rarely hurting for the chance to see the author's stories of love and manners depicted onscreen in some form or other. But as the world gears up to celebrate Austen's 250th birthday next year, we can expect to hear about more upcoming content related to her and her work than usual. 

Having only just wrapped up its adaptation of Austen's final novel Sandition last year, PBS's Masterpiece is taking a slightly different tack, prepping the release of a period drama that centers the life of the author herself rather than her famous characters. Based on Gil Hornby's best-selling novel of the same name, Miss Austen is a dramatization of a real-life literary mystery that has both troubled and fascinated academics and fans for centuries: Why did Cassandra Austen burn a large collection of letters written by her sister Jane following her death?

The generally accepted wisdom is that Cassandra felt responsible for managing her sister's legacy and acted to protect Jane's reputation by preventing potentially private or embarrassing details from being revealed to the public. What those details were and whether Jane would have approved of her sister's actions are questions whose answers are now lost to time. But while many blamed Cassandra for how she handled Jane's estate after her death, she's the primary reason we know so much about her sister and her life, a fact that Miss Austen seems rather determined to celebrate.

Set many years after Jane's death, Miss Austen initially follows the story of an older Cassandra (Keeley Hawes) on a visit to Isabella Fowle (Rose Leslie), the niece of her long-dead fiance. Though she's ostensibly meant to be helping the young woman avert disaster after her father's death, she has an ulterior motive --- to locate a hidden bundle of letters from her sister that could prove disastrous if made public. 

This framing device ultimately splits the story into two parts: The present-day Cassandra's reckoning with her own past and the way its lessons might be able to help another young woman find happiness, and a series of flashbacks that tell the story of Jane and Cassandra's youth, which are full of the sort of romantic entanglements, heartbreak, and family drama that that would make Jane's stories so famous. 

Here's the series' synopsis. 

In Miss Austen, the drama begins in 1830, many years after Jane has died. Cassandra rushes to visit Isabella, the niece of her long-dead fiancé, who is about to lose her home following her father’s death. Cassandra is ostensibly there to help Isabella, but her real motive is to find a hidden bundle of private letters which, in the wrong hands, she fears could destroy Jane’s reputation.

On discovering them, Cassandra is overwhelmed as she is transported back to her youth. In flashback, we meet Young Cassy and Jane as they navigate the romantic infatuations, family feuds and dashed hopes which shaped their lives, and laid the foundations for Jane’s unforgettable stories. Cassandra’s re-evaluation of her past eventually leads her to find a way to guide Isabella towards the path of true happiness.

Alongside Hawes and Leslie, the series stars Synnøve Karlsen (Passenger) as the young Cassy, Patsy Ferran (Firebrand) as the young Jane, Max Irons (The White Queen) as Henry Hobday, Alfred Enoch (The Couple Next Door) as Mr. Lidderdale, Calam Lynch (Archie) as Tom Fowle, Phyllis Logan (Downton Abbey) as Mrs. Cassandra Austen, and Liv Hill (The Serpent Queen). The ensemble cast also includes Mirren Mack (The Doll Factory), Kevin McNally (The Crown), and Jessica Hynes (Years and Years). 

The four-part series is adapted and written by Andrea Gibb (Mayflies). It is directed by BAFTA winner Aisling Walsh (Elizabeth is Missing) and produced by Stella Merz (Gentleman Jack). Gibb, Walsh, and Hawes are all credited as executive producers, alongside Christine Langan for Bonnie Productions, Susanne Simpson for Masterpiece, and Polly Williams for Federation Stories. The series is a co-production of Bonnie Productions and Masterpiece in association with the BBC and Federation Stories.

Timed to coincide with the 250th anniversary of the author's birth Miss Austen will premiere on Sunday, May 4, 2025, at 9pm ET on Masterpiece, but, as always, check your local listing as that date gets closer.