On the air since 1971, Masterpiece PBS has kept us glued to our sets through many different series. It is one of the last great venues in the vast desert of streaming which has been dedicated to preserving a deep character development, a visual extravaganza for the eye, and compelling story lines. With all the awards, it is hard to single out our favs. Endeavor is certainly one, Grantchester another, and then there is All Creatures Great and Small, simply one of the best ever!
The series All Creatures Great and Small is not a modern story but a modern remake of the first adaptation running 1978–1990. The stories themselves are nearly a hundred years old. They trace the life of a rural veterinarian working in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s and 1940s. The story is drawn from the memoirs of real-life veterinarian James Alfred Wight, writing under the pen name James Herriot. Each episode unfolds another chapter in his James’s professional and personal journey, through ordinary days and wartime, blending humor, warmth, and a decidedly optimistic view of life as they care for animals large and small within a very close-knit and scenic community. Now in its sixth season (at least in the United States) it is the best kind of television: genuinely family-friendly, quietly instructive, solidly moral, sometimes starkly real, uniformly hopeful, and rich in kind of life lessons we all need to learn. Set in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, in the market town of Grassington, we have a positive but not overly sentimental view of life. The musical scores are an important part of each episode. Even the visual lead in for each episode is just right.
It seems that everything else on TV either parrots the prevailing social causes or insists upon showing us the most gritty and dark side of life. Nothing against the actors, but there is only so many brutal crime dramas I can take and only so many stories of murder, child abuse, drugs, etc., before it is overwhelmingly depressing. This was once the exception while most TV told a hopeful story, with clear good guys and bad guys, resolution to end each episode, and the assurance of a solid family to make their way through it all. Now it is hard to find a normal family on TV or to find one in which the current sexual desires or gender identities do not feature larger than life. Think back to Andy Griffith. Nobody got wounded or died or got away with murder or robbery. They all seemed to get along even when tempers got hot or blame was being shoveled around. Don't forget the lazy Sunday afternoons on the front porch, snoozing or humming along with the guitar a favorite folk song or hymn, after a sumptuous lunch of fried chicken, waiting for the homemade ice cream to be ready. Okay, maybe it is out of date but does that mean the values, the family structures, and the neighborliness we see there are also out of date? I hope not. I hope that one day we will return to a hopeful view of things in TV series with visual appeal, good writing, and solidly rooted hopes and ideals. I might actually turn on the TV more often.
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The television, during much of my entire life, has had a prominent place in the home. It was usually in the Living Room. I remember the first television in the Flanagan household. It was around 1951, I was 6 years old, and through the years I always recalled it was a 17 inch black and white Westinghouse. We had this same set for close to 10 years. Sometimes reception was poor, or the antenna was affected by a neighbor who was constantly on his short wave radio. The bulbs of the TV would blow out, and as a teenager I went to the local stationary store where I could test the suspect bulbs myself, and buy a replacement for less than a dollar. As you pointed out, the tv shows were fairly interesting and entertaining, the content family friendly, and it seemed all of America was watching the “”Ed Sullivan Show,” and the wonderful “world of Disney”. Later on, TV seemed more jaded, more involved with advocacy of permissive social values, and one couldn’t help but notice evident disdain for Christians, often framing traditional folks as bigots and intolerant. Entertainment seemed to be still fairly good, yet one could feel the content seemed agenda driven, inculcating American society with permissive values disguised as “freedom” from prior standards. It was subtle at first, becoming more blatant as time moved on. Like you, I enjoy British comedy and mysteries, but today, episodes of “Father Brown,” “Sister Boniface,” et al, characteristically support LGBTQ and other social causes by presenting sympathetic actors who are largely victimized by society. In one episode, Father Brown tells a gay character, “You can’t help whom you love.” With the imprimatur of the church behind him, Father Brown gives the viewer a short sermon to those Christians who still cling to God’s word on discerning right from wrong, and the nature of sin. With cable, the language is very coarse these days, and even regular programs use the “blip” liberally to cover the random curses heard frequently. Fortunately, we can still find quality shows mixed with the perverse , but one must practice discernment to avoid the garbage. It is not necessary to avoid television entirely, but it seems to me that a Christian needs to be ready to change the channel when necessary. Our minds are like sponges, picking up images and language, and it can change our outlook and worldview. It can harm our faith, and for that reason even television can become trouble to one’s soul. Soli Deo Gloria
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