Masterpiece Theatre has become synonymous with high quality television since it began showcasing literary adaptations and biography on PBS (Public Broadcasting Station) on January 10, 1971. Masterpiece Theatre has imported British television serials from the outset, more often than not based on British novels that unfold against an English backdrop. For twenty-two years, the show was hosted by Englishman Alistair Cooke on a set recalling a posh London club. Cooke's refined Oxbridge accent and the series's upscale British fare have been lovingly parodied by Sesame Street ("Monsterpiece Thea-tre" with Alistair Cookie Monster) and Saturday Night Live (Dan Aykroyd as snobbish host, Leonard Pinth-Garnell).

Masterpiece Theatre was the brainchild of Boston's public television station, WGBH. It was inspired by the success of The Forsythe Saga, a twenty-six episode British television adaptation of John Galsworthy's Edwardian novels shown on PBS in 1969. It was then made possible by financial support from...