Period drama fans are raving about the BBC's three-part series Death Comes to Pemberley, which has viewers "completely hooked" even 13 years after its release. The 2013 drama, based on P. D. James' best-selling 2011 novel, serves as a sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, placing the beloved characters in a new murder mystery six years after the original story ends.
A Murder Mystery at Pemberley
Set in 1803, the series follows Fitzwilliam Darcy (Matthew Rhys) and Elizabeth Bennet (Anna Maxwell Martin), who live happily at Pemberley estate with their two young sons as they prepare for a lavish autumn ball. Joining them are Elizabeth's sister, Lydia Wickham (Jenna Coleman), her husband George Wickham (Matthew Goode), and Captain Denny (Tom Canton).
The festivities come to a halt when the two men disappear into the woods after a heated argument. Lydia steps outside and hears two gunshots, then rushes back to the ballroom screaming that someone has been murdered. Darcy sends out a search party, who find Wickham distraught and hysterical, holding Denny's body and blaming himself for the murder.
Visual Splendor and Locations
Director Daniel Percival turned the series into a visual feast with elaborate stately homes and jaw-dropping costumes, taking advantage of the countryside in Yorkshire and Derbyshire. Chatsworth House was used as the exterior of Pemberley, with rooms at Chatsworth, Castle Howard, and Harewood House in Yorkshire used for indoor scenes.
Critical and Fan Praise
The series boasts an impressive 82% rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Fans have praised it online, with one user writing: "This is a brilliant and romantic continuation of a literary classic. Everything about it is enjoyable: the cast, acting, scenery, sets, costumes. It's absolutely wonderful, especially Jenna Coleman." Another said: "Jane Austen would approve. This is a beautiful screening of the P.D. James novel, which borrows characters from Pride and Prejudice. I definitely didn't disappoint."
P. D. James' novel has sold approximately 300,000 copies in its first few months and has been translated into 36 languages worldwide.
