The temptation is all the time to return however Return to Cranford largely proves a disappointment
“I’ve got family in Bolton”
The success of Cranford meant {that a} sequel was by no means actually unsure however the two feature-length episodes that made up Return to Cranford didn’t actually do a lot to match as much as the unique, in my very own humble opinion. Following the identical template of Heidi Thomas crafting this world from the collected works of Elizabeth Gaskell, this sequence makes the error of introducing us to a complete new world of supporting characters moderately than increasing on these we come to know and love.
Once once more, the God-tier stage of casting signifies that the present isn’t lower than solely watchable. The likes of Jonathan Pryce, Celia Imrie, Lesley Sharp, Nicholas Le Prevost, Jodie Whittaker, Tom Hiddleston, Michelle Dockery, Rory Kinnear and Tim Curry be a part of us however as their tales are threaded by the lifetime of the village and the dreaded arrival of the trainline and its accompanying station, there’s only a sense of why trouble, provided that they hadn’t been talked about in that superb first season.
Consequently, the most effective scenes are these which function the returning characters, because the core staff of Judi Dench, Imelda Staunton, Julia McKenzie and Deborah Findlay reprise their roles (with Barbara Flynn’s Mirs Jamieson kinda stepping up instead of Eileen Atkins’ sadly departed Miss Deborah). Crucial to the success of Cranford is the sense of group cultivated between the characters, even by the gossip, and too many newcomers simply throws that out of whack.