'All Creatures Great & Small' Commences Filming on Season 6

The yearly conclusion of All Creatures Great & Small on PBS is a bit like Groundhog Day here in the U.S., signaling that the end of winter is heading our way. ("Groundhog Day," meaning the actual event of a groundhog sticking his head out of a hole, not the Bill Murray film.) As the last of the snow melts, it's time to put away the comforts of a show where the main dramatic thrust usually centers on saving the life of a bull or a cow and get ready for the more serious dramas of spring, which this year will include the return of Wolf Hall to PBS for the first time in a decade. However, worry not, my sheep-watching friends, as Masterpiece and Channel 5 have already greenlit All Creatures for Season 6.

The popular remake of what was a cow-of-the-week show (when it wasn't a pig-of-the-week show) back in the 1970s has focused more on the homefront politics of World War II in the 21st-century edition, from Tristan's training those heading out to the front lines to Mrs. Hall being part of the village watch. However, the far-away horrors of war have affected the series overall, with the animal-focused stories somehow gentler than ever in comparison.

Since the 2020s continue to be a strugglebus of a decade, more gentle, good-natured, animal-focused television is just what we need, and with spring arriving in Yorkshire, it's time for Season 6 filming to get underway. (The series films in the spring, as it has every year, starting with Season 2, to take full advantage of the plethora of baby animals in the region.) The new season is on track to arrive in its usual places on the calendar, as filming kicked off less than 24 hours after the final episode premiered on most PBS stations.