Perhaps, when the words Little Dorrit kept coming up during last night’s Emmy Awards broadcast, you were all, “Little who?” Or maybe you filtered out the unfamiliar phrase altogether and have no idea what I’m talking about. But wait! There’s a reason why the BBC-WGBH Charles Dickens adaptation picked up so many trophies, including Outstanding Miniseries plus the writing and directing awards in that field.
I’m not even a Dickens fan like that, but my 19th-century-British-literature-obsessive girlfriend sure is, so I watched the miniseries when it aired this spring. The cast was one of those sprawling BBC ensembles, featuring memorable performances from actors I’d never seen before (Claire Foy, as debtor’s daughter Amy Dorrit) as well as some familiar faces (Matthew “Mr. Darcy” Macfadyen as earnest hero Arthur Clennam, Andy “Gollum” Serkis as creepy villain Rigaud). And the plot — all about wealth and class and massive finance-industry malfeasance — was shockingly relevant in 2009. If you’d like to see a melodramatic TV movie about the Bernie Madoff scandal, you’d probably be better off seeking out Little Dorrit on DVD. It’ll be just as much fun, you’ll get a long-suffering love story at the same time, and you know the production values will be higher with the BBC in charge.
Did any of you catch Little Dorrit when it first aired? How psyched are you to see it having a well-deserved Emmy moment? Or are you looking forward to discovering Little Dorrit now that the Emmys have brought it to your attention?
Photo credit: Mike Hogan/ BBC
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Little Dorrit was excellent! My husband and I were surprised at the number of weeks/episodes it ran over, but we can’t complain about the twisted and interesting plot and the quality performances given by all. If you invest the time to start on this miniseries, don’t give up until you complete it. A true gem in the PBS lineup of Masterpiece this spring, and with all of the quality shows in the Masterpiece lineup, that is really saying something!
I agree. Little Dorrit was fantastically done. I’m so glad that it did so well last night.
I saw Little Dorrit last spring and loved it! It’s one of the best BBC miniseries I’ve seen in a long time. It’s a little long but worth every minute!
This article is cute. “Oh my goodness, Dickens is good? Miniseries on Masterpiece are good?” Expand your horizons a bit and get a little culture from time to time, for God’s sake.
Re: Brooke’s comment
Your comment’s meaning was unclear to me. Was the tone sarcastic? Targeted toward those who don’t generally look to the classics for entertainment? Meant for those who watch such programs religiously? If the former, why not commend the author for discovering this gem? If the latter, what do you consider to be culture? Just curious.
Rented Little Dorrit through Netflix last month (was pleasantly surprised to see it nominated at the Emmys!). I love costume dramas, and this series did not disappoint. Great story adaptation and exceptional acting. Highly recommend!
The only thing I knew about Little Dorrit is that it was an Oscar-y movie back in the 80s with Alec Guinness. Anyone see that?
My daughter and I watched Little dorrit on DVD a few months ago. I love 19th century period dramas. This one did not disappoint. We were so excited to see it nominated and WIN last night. Well deserved!
Little Dorrit was excellent. Glad to see something of quality got recognized other than the usual drivel.
Generation Kill should have won.
I’ll second that!
Agreed. I was hoping it would walk away with Best Miniseries and Best Director. :/
My husband and I watched this brilliant series when it first aired. Only complaint is that the lead actor and actress were passed by for nominations. They were both absolutely wonderful.
“Little Dorrit” was superb, as engrossing as the Dickens novel, with perfect casting and a fascinatingly twisty and intricate plot. EW’s coverage of this makes it seem as if only some strange group of shut-ins watches “Masterpiece”, but if you want guaranteed strong acting, smart writing, and quality production, you can’t go wrong. After the excellence of the adaptation of “Bleak House” a couple of seasons ago and now “Little Dorrit”, I hope Masterpiece/WGBH and the BBC keep going back to the Dickens well until it is dry, because great television is going to be our reward.
ohhh, i loved Bleak House. I wish EW had given a heads-up about Little Dorrit when it was first running. Or maybe I missed it? Looking forward to checking it out on DVD.
I’m a fan of Dickens, and costume dramas in general, so I watched this when it first aired on PBS and was very, very impressed (I honestly didn’t even recognize Andy Serkis at first, his villainous turn was so good)–although I shouldn’t have been surprised really, since Andrew Davies (of Pride & Prejudice, 1995, not the MacFayden/Keira Knightly version) wrote it. Having also read the original novel, cutting Dickens down to an adaptation is no mean feat! So seeing it recognized at the Emmy’s was wonderful and well-deserved.
Loved every minute of this series. I concur with Karen about the leads being passed over. They would give any of the other nominated a run for their money. I always look forward to BBC productions and this one didn’t disappoint.
I did see “Little Dorrit” when it first aired — I loved it! (Especially for Matthew Macfadyen as Arthur and Eddie Marsan as Pancks; too bad they couldn’t have been up for Emmys as well…) Afterwards, I bought the book as soon as I could and read it this summer.
Saw Little Dorritt last summer on Netflix and loved every minute of it! So glad it got the recognition that it deserved!
I saw both Generation Kill and Little Dorrit, and enjoyed both a lot. But there is no question that the right miniseries won the award. Little Dorrit was excellent, and the better of the two.
I was *shocked* that Eddie Marsan wasn’t nominated. I thought he stole every scene he was in, just like he did with Happy Go Lucky. That man will win an Oscar someday soon.
Oh! I was so excited that Little Dorrit won. These kind of productions, in my opinion, rarely get the Hollywood acknowledgement they deserve, so to see this heartbreakingly beautiful miniseries get its due was incredible. I sometimes wonder if viewers tune out because of the miniseries category in the Emmys, which is a shame because often there’s a freshness of material in miniseries that is sorely missed in other avenues of TV.
And, Andy Serkis as Rigaud is not to be missed. He is chilling as the villain—though, he’s not the only villain in this miniseries, some are a bit more subtle at first.
I loved Little Dorrit and could hardly wait for each episode! The acting, scenery and costumes were excellent. Why Claire Foy, as Amy Dorrit, wasn’t even nominated for best actress is beyond my comprehension! A stellar mini series worth watching!
WAS SO EXCITED TO SEE THE EMMYS LOVING LITTLE DORRIT.A GREAT ADAPTATION, GREAT CAST. I’M THE SAME ABOUT ONLY TWO NOMINATIONS FOR THE SUPPORTING ACTORS.HOW COME WHEN IT WINS ALL THE AWARDS IT DID, CLAIRE FOY AND MATTHEW MACFADYEN WERE NOT INCLUDED IN NOMINATIONS. SOMETHING WRONG THERE.
Absolutely beside myself that Little Dorrit won big last night (and at the Creative Arts Emmys). Totally deserved! I was also sad the Claire Foy, Matthew Macfadyen and Eddie Marsan weren’t nominated because they gave stunning performances.
Good article. I’m thrilled that “Little Dorrit” did so well last night (although I also would have loved to see nominations for Foy, Macfadyen, and Marsan). Those wins were well deserved.
And pick up the book if you get a chance — it’s even better!
Little Dorrit was a devestating and humane film — I was so pleased that they were able to devote the number of hours they did to drawing out the intricacies of the story. It is an investment of time to watch it, but worth every minute.
I loved, loved, loved “Little Dorrit” – and I am not usually a Dickens fan. So glad it got recognized – and sorry to see so many comments about the movie/mini-series awards being boring/not-deserved. Some of those projects were magnificent – the best work being done on TV.
I would have liked to see CF, MM and EM at least get nominations. The entire cast was fabulous.
I loved this series. It is full of great performances. Keep your eye out for Eve Myles (of Torchwood) as Little Dorrit’s mentally challenged friend. I didn’t even realize she was in it until I saw her name in the credits!
I watched Little Dorrit and I LOVED it! I am a Masterpiece regular on Sunday nights.
Question for David and Michelle: Did you watch both Little Dorrit and Generation Kill and your comments are based upon your comparisons?
I haven’t seen it yet, but last night during the emmys added it to my netflix.
I loved Little Dorrit! I am so glad that it won. I didn’t watch on PBS but through Netflix as soon as it came out! I hope more people see it now after winning the Emmy!
I saw Little Dorrit on PBS and at the same time they had the two-part Little Dorrit movie on Turner Classics on two successive Saturdays. I do like Alec Guinness better as Mr. Dorrit, but I tend to like everything he is in. On the whole I think the PBS production is better and covers more of the story, because it does not repeat some of the same scenes as the movie does showing first Arthur’s perspective and then Amy’s perspective. Alec was nominated for a best supporting actor Oscar. Both productions are filled with many great actors from British stage and screen. I think it is the best Dickens story, especially pertaining to today’s economic situation. My second favorite is Bleak House.
I did see both Little Dorrit and Generation Kill and I own both DVDs. They are as different as night and day. Either could have won as far as I was concerned. However being up against Dickens, Austen, Hardy, or the Brontes is a steep hill to climb for any production.
Loved, loved, loved this mini series. It was excellent! I am a bit disappointed Tom Courtenay didn’t win…he was wonderful.