What's this? A reality show from PBS? Yes. Well, sort of.
Victorian Slum House debuts at 7 p.m. today on AETN. It seems like a reality show, although nobody gets voted off the slum and the final survivor doesn't get a grand prize.
Let's call the series an educational dramatic re-creation that features modern-day people striving to experience the living and working conditions of the Victorian poor between 1860-1900.
The series will air at the same time on subsequent Tuesdays through May 30. Each episode will cover a decade.
Forget all the Edwardian and post-Edwardian luxury of the townhouse in Upstairs, Downstairs and the sprawling estate of Downton Abbey, this will be more reminiscent of the Dickensian London of grinding poverty and social injustice.
Up first is "The 1860s." The series begins with the participants moving into a re-created East End tenement that includes sparsely furnished rooms, a communal water pump in the muddy courtyard and outdoor toilets.
The group will attempt to earn a living by making matchboxes, wood turning, and the rag trade. This was common work once done by their own East End ancestors.
The participants are families, couples and individuals who will be faced with the almost impossible task of earning enough money to pay the rent (one-third of their wages) and put food on the table (two-thirds).
The five episodes will focus on the urban poor during the time Britain became the world's first industrial superpower and the London economy was booming for many.
As host Michael Mosley explains, "London became the world's richest city. But just as it is now, Victorian London was a city divided by extremes."
Needless to say, the participants have plenty of eye-opening experiences and viewers will come to better understand the forces that eventually led to welfare reforms in the 20th century.
Here are the future episodes.
May 9: "The 1870s." The highlight of this episode is the decade's economic depression, which was heightened by the arrival of Irish migrants seeking work. The slum dwellers toil daily to fulfill clothing orders and make artificial flowers for factories.
May 16: "The 1880s." Viewers learn why, despite high unemployment and intolerable conditions, people still came to London in droves.
May 23: "The 1890s." As London recovered from the depression, residents experienced a wave of social reforms.
May 30: "The 1900s." The final episode deals with the social changes the slum dwellers faced as they moved into the 20th century. Finally, viewers see what steps were taken to help the poor and how the foundations were laid for lasting change.
• The Handmaid's Tale. For those who missed the memo, the highly anticipated Hulu original series has finally begun. Three episodes premiered Wednesday and the remaining seven will be released singly each subsequent Wednesday.
Adapted from the 1985 novel of the same name by Margaret Atwood, the series stars Mad Men's Elisabeth Moss as Offred, one of the few remaining fertile women in the dystopia of Gilead, a totalitarian society in what was formerly the United States.
Gilead is ruled "by a twisted fundamentalism in its militarized return to traditional values." Offred is a handmaid in the Commander's household. Where women are treated as property of the state, Offred is among the caste forced into sexual servitude as a last desperate attempt to repopulate the world.
In an interview with The Associated Press, Moss said, "I want Offred to be the wife, mother or friend that you can see yourself in. I want you to think, 'That's how I would react. That's how I would feel.'"
Noting the recent women's marches, Atwood said the series has taken on a certain urgency since November's elections that sent Donald Trump to the White House.
"Women who had taken for granted their rights are now really quite worried," Atwood said. "I would say they're right to be concerned."
The cast includes Joseph Fiennes (Shakespeare in Love) as Commander Fred Waterford; Alexis Bledel (Gilmore Girls) as Ofglen, Offred's handmaid companion; and Samira Wiley (Orange Is the New Black) as Moira, Offred's college friend.
• The X-Files. I wasn't all that pleased with last year's reboot, but Fox was happy enough to resurrect The X-Files one more time as another 10-episode "event" series.
Creator Chris Carter will once again be executive producer and Gillian Anderson and David Duchovny will reprise their roles as Dana Scully and Fox Mulder.
Production begins this summer for airing in the 2017-18 season.
The TV Column appears Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday. Email:
mstorey@arkansasonline.com
Style on 05/02/2017