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By their very nature, period dramas are supposed to transport viewers to a different time realm. But while the genre has sky-rocketed in popularity of late, there's one aspect of the dramas that appear to be keeping them firmly grounded in the 21st Century: the casts' cosmetically enhanced faces. Earlier this month, the new series 10 Pound Poms - starring Michelle Keegan and Faye Marsay - started airing on BBC One.

Some of my favorite actors from Chinese and Korean dramas. Part II, R thru Z. My reference source to try to help me remember names.

Bonnets, big houses and brooding heroes: a good period drama is the ultimate comfort watch, a lovely balm for our “poor nerves” - as Mrs Bennet from Pride and Prejudice would probably put it - that’s particularly soothing when the world seems uncertain and strange. From compulsive Sunday night viewing like Downton Abbey and Poldark to Oscar-baiting classics like Sense and Sensibility and A Room With A View, these are our all-time favourites...

A spirited young girl, a forbidden love and a coming-of-age tale that will have you on the edge of your sofa (plus a rather dashing male lead or two) — it has all the elements of a familiar Sunday night drama. But the BBC's latest offering, A Suitable Boy, which starts tomorrow night, is anything but familiar. For the six-part series is the first in the corporation's history to have a cast entirely made up of people of colour.

Colin Firth almost missed out on the role that launched his acting career because his hair was thought to be too 'ginger', it has been revealed. The British actor, 56, became something of an overnight heartthrob thanks to his portrayal of Fitzwilliam Darcy in the 1995 BBC adaptation of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice. But screenwriter Andrew Davies has now revealed he was initially unsure about the star - until he was convinced to darken his hair.

If you were to draw a Venn diagram of two sets, with one representing male police officers and the other representing fans of “Downton Abbey,” I suspect the overlap would be vanishingly small. Some might consider this unmanly, but I’m proud to admit my membership in that sliver of humanity, and I will be a bit downcast Sunday evening as the show fades to black for the last time. Equally downcast will be Mrs. Dunphy, who perhaps represents a more typical demographic among the millions of people who today wonder how they will spend their wintertime Sunday evenings from now...

It’s now out in the open: The new TV drama “Commander in Chief” was aired to pre-test and pre-market the candidacy of Hillary Clinton for President in 2008. Secondary goals may have been : getting on Hillary’s “good side” early on, suggesting what her agenda should be , getting some juicy staff appointments lined up in advance ,getting an inside track for the campaign advertising dollars – the possibilities are endless. With this in mind, here are my screenplay notes for an ALL (!) NEW (!)EPISODE (!) of TV’s up-and-coming drama : (Please note: In keeping with my usual practice,...

“Inconceivable” was Unpardonable ! In an effort to placate my wife – who insists : “ You never want to watch the shows I watch !” – I watched the new drama (or whatever it is) called “ Inconceivable”. The setting is an upscale, cutting-edge fertility clinic ; and the viewer is introduced to surrogate mothers who change their minds (thankfully before impregnation) , couples seeking eugenically superior “designer babies” , and a clinic worker who is surreptitiously changing the label on a specimen. There is a lawsuit – filed by a couple who are unhappy with the baby the...

U.S. TV makes way for two White House dramas September 23, 2005 17:50:40 Actress Geena Davis poses at a premiere screening in Beverly HillsBy Steve Gorman LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - A new TV show starring Oscar-winner Geena Davis as America's first female president, juggling career and family while holding Republican enemies at bay, is drawing Internet fire from conservatives and feminists alike. But the big question among network executives is whether there is room enough in prime time for two White House dramas. "Commander In Chief" premieres on Tuesday on ABC following the return on Sunday of NBC's Emmy-winning White...

A Writer's Vicious Prejudice February 15, 2005My favorite books and movies are court room dramas but this day and age it's nearly impossible to find good ones. I did read a very fine one a while back, titled Grand Jury, by Philip Friedman, and there have been a few others-The Soloist, by Mark Salzman, comes to mind. When I have tried the popular ones, such as John Grisham, I have found many of them annoying because of the author's technique of stereotyping characters. All people in business are greedy bastards, the leading attorneys dedicated professionals, many politicians devoted public servants,...