PBS CELEBRATES WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH WITH THE WONDERFUL LADIES OF MASTERPIECE!
Like so many months will do, March begins with a month dedicated to something. In this case, it is Women’s History Month. When it comes to the origins of this, I haven’t any knowledge, so I’m not here to talk about its history or what it entails, but rather to mark this occasion (and yes, another more varied list arrives next week!), we are celebrating with the PBS Passport to spotlight some of the women they’ve introduced us to throughout their Masterpiece banner and other shows that aired on PBS. From fierce and feisty, to relatable and romantic, there are many women (and let’s be real, lots of cool guys too!) we’ve loved from Masterpiece’s storied history of period dramas.
LIST | SASH AND SWISH: SOME OF THE PRETTY ‘BRIDGERTON’ DRESSES
PBS CELEBRATES WOMEN’S HISTORY MONTH WITH THE WONDERFUL LADIES OF MASTERPIECE! #PBSMasterpiece #DowntonAbbey #MissScarlet Share on XMany of these ladies are women we have gotten to know over the course of multiple seasons while others are from adaptations of the iconic novels by Jane Austen. This spotlight on Masterpiece’s Women is also co-celebrated by the PBS return of Downton Abbey with a premiere on PBS Passport. Starting today, you can stream the entire six seasons of the beloved (and most popular PBS Drama!) period drama which as we all know is a show with its own share of strong, vulnerable and lovely women. So, all this to say, let’s feature just a few of the women – from detectives to memorable ladies, you can meet through the many different shows available to stream with PBS.
THE WOMEN of PBS MASTERPIECE series
CASSANDRA AUSTEN from MISS AUSTEN
Cassandra, we meet in the 2025 Masterpiece drama Miss Austen. In the series, which has been renewed for a second season, she is played by Keeley Hawes. Cassandra is, of course, the sister of Jane Austen and in the present timeline we follow her as she fights to protect her sister and the letters her sister once wrote.
Based on a novel by Gill Hornby with a script written by Andrew Gibb, who also has writing credits for Sanditon and Call the Midwife, the story is a touching and heartwarming tale of sisters and the bond that holds them together even in disagreement or hardships.
CATHERINE MORLAND from NORTHANGER ABBEY
Who can dislike the dreamy and imaginative heroine of Jane Austen’s Northanger Abbey? I know she’s one of my favorite underrated heroines! She has such an imagination, but I think eventually she realizes that reality is better than any crazy book or world she could visit. Of course, we never want her to lose her creative side because that is part of what makes someone so unique. In the 2007 film, Felicity Jones steps into the iconic role, she’s wholesome and delightful, and we love her wonderful story.
DOWEGER COUNTESS and ISOBEL CRAWLEY from DOWNTON ABBEY
Is there any list like this complete without mention of the incomparable Dowager Countess, Violet from Downton Abbey? Played throughout all six seasons by Maggie Smith, the character is funny, fabulous, witty and wise. It’s impossible not to love her character and not to understand why everyone looks to her for advice.
Credit: Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE
Then there is Isobel, Mary’s mother-in-law, and the woman who clashes most often with Violet. The two women disagree and fight, but at the heart of their relationship is a friendship that binds them together in mutual respect.
LADY MARY and LADY EDITH from DOWNTON ABBEY
There are so many impressive female characters and women playing them from PBS Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey that it would be impossible to spotlight them all. Lady Mary (played by Michelle Dockery) and Lady Edith (played by Laura Carmichael) are two of the characters who are with the franchise through the entire six-season run and all three of the feature films that came after. Mary is steely in many regards, but I think her arc is also one of the best in this franchise. Edith also grows so much, even with the sometimes unkind way Mary treats her. Seeing Downton Abbey make a return to PBS, which is one of their most popular dramas, is lovely because it boasts so many wonderful characters.
Credit: Carnival Film & Television Limited for MASTERPIECE
Also, one of the women worth celebrating in this show is Lady Sybil Crawley, the third sister who’s sass and kindness we don’t easily forget. Fortunately, her spirit lives on to the last vestiges we see of Downton Abbey.
From Lord Grantham (and yes, there are many gentlemen who deserve a shout-out) to his wonderful wife Cora (who is often forgotten), there are so many characters to love.
MISS ELIZA SCARLET from MISS SCARLET
A lady detective solving curious mysteries in the 1800s, Eliza is ambitious, smart and is always elegant while investigating! She uses the detective agency she takes over after her father’s death to accomplish some of these ambitions and through the years. She builds a business that is finally garnering attention from potential clients while she also supplements by working with Scotland Yard, helping to solve some of their toughest cases.
SUZIE, BECKS and JUDITH from THE MARLOW MURDER CLUB
These three ladies are fabulous characters who we meet in the more recent 2024 Masterpiece drama The Marlow Murder Club. Based on novel by Robert Thorogood, the story follows these women as they end up solving a mystery together which eventually leads to the difficulties and joys of their lives being peeled away. This then inevitably leads to the start of a friendship between these three.
Playing these characters is Jo Martin (Suzie), Cara Horgan (Becks) and Samantha Bond (Judith). Also joining them is DS Tanik Malik (played by Natalie Dew), a woman who is good at her job, but feeling some strain in how to balance her career and motherhood. This show has two seasons and a third is also in the works.
At publication you can stream these featured PBS dramas with PBS Passport; or you can also stream the shows find on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video add on
MORE to meet
Most of these ladies are characters I haven’t met, but you can meet them through the different PBS dramas where their stories unfold. At present, you can stream the below PBS dramas on PBS Passport or you can also stream the shows on the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video add on
- DI Annika Strandhed (Nicola Walker) from ANNIKA
- Isabella Fowle (Rose Leslie) from MISS AUSTEN
- Noele Gordon (Helena Bonham Carter) from NOLLY
- Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville) from MAGPIE MURDERS
Photo Credits: Alamy | PBS / Masterpiece (Miss Scarlet / The Marlow Murder Club)
Have you met any of these women? Which of these women from Masterpiece shows did you watch on PBS? How many do you watch multiple times? Comment all of your thoughts down below! Let’s talk.
Thank you for visiting; please do visit again anytime!
PINTEREST PIN – SAVE & SHARE
interesting women