# Please explain "structure" of Masterpiece Theater **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [February 5, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-structure-of-masterpiece-theater/390983 "2007-02-05T21:49:16Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [February 5, 2007, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-structure-of-masterpiece-theater/390983/1 "2007-02-05T21:49:16Z")
My family enjoys watching Masterpiece Theater on the local PBS station. Last night one of my kids asked a question about where the shows come from that are on PBS, and I realized I wasn’t sure. I found the following from a [Masterpiece Theater FAQ](http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/series/faqs.html), but I’m not sure I really understand what it is saying. _Masterpiece Theatre is primarily a series of programs that originate with our producing partners in the UK. We’re always reviewing books, scripts and plays for possible co-production, but they come to us from those partners who can provide the majority of the financing for any given project._ Is there a “company” named Masterpiece Theater that commissions English “production companies” to make certain films? Or does MT “browse” the market of works produced in England, and decide which ones to buy for distribution in the US? Is MT a separate entity from WGBH and/or PBS? I guess I realized the majority of MT productions are British, but are **all** of them? ---
**Author:** ![ryobserver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/b2d939/32.png) [@ryobserver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ryobserver)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-structure-of-masterpiece-theater/390983/2 "2007-02-06T00:30:20Z")
[QUOTE=Dinsdale] Is there a “company” named Masterpiece Theater that commissions English “production companies” to make certain films? Or does MT “browse” the market of works produced in England, and decide which ones to buy for distribution in the US? [/QUOTE] The latter. Masterpiece Theater is an anthology series, a package or brand name, not a production company. Shows airing on the BBC (or ITV, or Channel 4) are made available for overseas distribution after broadcast in the UK; those with a nice literary or historical pedigree are included in Masterpiece Theater. Those based on detective stories can go into Mystery! instead; I was a little surprised “The Ruby in the Smoke” ended up in MT instead of Mystery!. Shows that aren’t suitable for either of these series may end up elsewhere on PBS, or on BBC America, or in the case of the new “Doctor Who”, on the SciFi channel. (I get a lot of my daily news from the BBC news website, which regularly has overnight ratings, award nominations and other info on shows that then appear on Masterpiece Theater months later. “Bleak House” was a hit over there.) The shows don’t have to be British; Masterpiece Theater has recently included some American productions. But American television doesn’t do a lot of serious literary or biographical adaptations, not compared to British TV. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [February 6, 2007, 4:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/please-explain-structure-of-masterpiece-theater/390983/3 "2007-02-06T04:56:54Z")
Note what it says in the Wikipedia entry: > **[Masterpiece (TV series)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Masterpiece_Theatre)** > > Masterpiece (formerly known as Masterpiece Theatre) is a drama anthology television series produced by WGBH Boston. It premiered on Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) on January 10, 1971. The series has presented numerous acclaimed British productions. Many of these are produced by the BBC, but the line-up has also included programs shown on the UK commercial channels ITV and Channel 4. > Masterpiece is known for presenting adaptations of novels and biographies, but it also shows original televisio... _Masterpiece Theatre_ was entirely British productions until 2004, when they quit using a host and began occasionally doing American-made productions. I suspect that some of the British series that are shown on _Masterpiece Theatre_ are actually British/American(/Canadian?/Australian?) co-productions, which are shot in the U.K. with British actors and crew but which have investors from several countries. Look sometime at the credits of the nonfiction stuff that PBS puts on. Frequently it’s a co-production. I presume that they use different narrators for the American and British showings of those films.