Miss Austen and More Book-Inspired Dramas on PBS

This spring, Masterpiece invites us into the untold story of Cassandra Austen, sister to the beloved novelist Jane Austen, in the compelling new drama Miss Austen. Based on the acclaimed novel by Gill Hornby, this beautifully imagined series explores the quiet strength and deep emotional life of the woman who fiercely guarded her sister’s legacy. With rich period detail, heartfelt performances and sharp wit, Miss Austen is a fresh look at the Austen universe from a perspective often left in the shadows. 

And if literary adaptations are your cup of tea, there’s plenty more to watch on PBS. Masterpiece has a tradition of bringing page-turners to the screen, like the sharp and stylish detective drama Endeavor, based on Colin Dexter’s iconic Inspector Morse novels, and the recent release of The Marlow Murder Club, adapted from Robert Thorogood’s hit mystery series. From Regency romances to Oxford investigations, PBS NC and the PBS app has your bookshelf favorites brought to life. Find your next watch below! 

Miss Austen 

Miss Austen, based on Gill Hornby’s acclaimed novel, takes a real-life literary mystery – Cassandra Austen (Keeley Hawes) burning her sister Jane’s letters – and reimagines it as a fascinating, heartbreaking story of love, sacrifice, and loss. 

Watch Miss Austen, premiering Sunday, 5/4, 9 PM on PBS NC and the PBS app. All episodes will be available to stream with PBS NC Passport starting 5/4.

Death Comes to Pemberley 

Based on: Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James (which is loosely based on Jane Austen’s 1813 novel Pride and Prejudice). 

Six years after Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy have wed, a coach races up to their Pemberley estate with an hysterical Lydia Bennet shrieking, “Murder!” So continues Jane Austen’s timeless story, Pride and Prejudice, in this star-studded adaptation of crime-writer P.D. James’ bestselling whodunit. 

Watch Death Comes to Pemberley, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.

Endeavour

Based on: Inspector Morse by Colin Dexter (there are 13 Inspector Morse novels, plus a number of novellas). 

Shaun Evans charms audiences with his portrayal of the cerebral and solitary detective Morse in Endeavour, written by Inspector Lewis creator and Inspector Morse writer Russell Lewis. 

Watch Endeavor, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.

Magpie Murders & Moonflower Murders 

Based on: The Susan Ryeland series by Anthony Horowitz including Magpie Murders and its sequel Moonflower Murders.

In Magpie Murders Susan Ryeland sets out to find the missing final chapter of author Alan Conway's latest novel...and to solve his murder. In Moonflower Murders, to solve the disappearance of a hotel owner’s daughter, Cecily Treherne, Susan investigates the truth behind a real-life murder. Can Susan uncover the secret hidden in the book and find Cecily before it’s too late? 

Watch Magpie Murders and Moonflower Murders, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.

Arthur & George 

Based on: Arthur & George by Julian Barnes (loosely based on the true crime investigated by Doyle).

Martin Clunes (from Doc Martin) stars as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle in the actual story of the Sherlock Holmes author’s pursuing a miscarriage of justice at the turn of the 19th century.  

Watch Arthur & George, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.

The Marlow Murder Club 

Based on: The Marlow Murder Club Mysteries by Robert Thurgood, who has since gone on to write three more novels in the series: Death Comes to Marlow, The Queen of Poisons and Murder on the Marlow Belle.

Join Judith, Suzie, and Becks in investigating a brutal murder. Along with Detective Tanika Malik, they must piece together clues, grill suspects, and face down real danger as they work against the clock to stop a killer in their tracks. 

Watch The Marlow Murder Club, streaming now on the PBS app only with PBS NC Passport.