There's a buzz around this UK drama series

In the UK, a period drama, based on Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice has delighted fans of the English author.  The BBC series, entitled The Other Bennet Sister, focuses on Mary Bennet, the sister of Austen's protagonist, Elizabeth Bennet.  The ten-episode series debuts in Canada and the United States on May 6, 2026, and will be available to stream on Britbox and the Britbox Apple TV Channel.  It can also be accessed through Amazon Prime.  The first three half-hour episodes will be released on May 6, with seven more half-hour weekly releases to follow on Wednesdays.

The Other Bennet Sister is adapted from the eponymous novel by Janice Hadlow.  The series was filmed primarily in Wales.  It is directed by Jennifer Sheridan (Extraordinary) and Asim Abbasi (Cake) and produced by Bad Wolf (His Dark Materials, Industry)..  Bad Wolf was founded in 2015 to create relevant TV drama throughout the world.

The Other Bennet Sister has a talented British ensemble cast, with Ella Bruccoleri in the lead role as Mary Bennet.  Bruccoleri is known for her roles as Sister Frances in the BBC drama Call the Midwife (2018-2022) and Winnifred Barragan in the Netflix series Bridgerton.  Ruth Jones (Gavin & Stacey, Stella) plays Mrs. Bennet in seven episodes and Richard Coyle (Heads of State, The Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) portrays Mr. Gardiner  in seven episodes,  Indira Varma (Obi-Wan Kenobi, The Night Manager) takes on the role of Mrs. Gardiner in eight episodes).

In Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice, there are five Bennet sisters.  Jane Bennet is the eldest, followed by Elizabeth, Mary, Catherine (Kitty) and Lydia (the youngest).  Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813.  It is set in Regency England and follows the fortunes of the Bennet family, who live in Longbourn House in Hertfordshire, a county in the East of England.  

Mary Bennet is the forgotten middle child in Austen's novel.  Mary is intelligent, bespectacled and very shy.  She is awkward, bookish and doesn't play the piano well at parties.  The Other Bennet Sister is the story of Mary's transformation from a wallflower into a confident woman.  It happens when she leaves Longbourn behind and travels to London to live with her kindly aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner, in their elegant home on Gracechurch Street,

Here's what Ella Brucoleri had to say about Mary's character: "From a young age, she's seen as not having the same desirable qualities as her sisters.  She comes to believe that she's innately unlovable.  And then the minute she steps away from her family, she begins to see things differently.  I mean, she has setbacks all the time, but it's a story about the transformative power of kindness, really."

Ella Brucoleri as Mary Bennet

Some critics have dubbed The Other Bennet Sister as "fanfic," inferring that it strays too far from Jane Austen's original work.  They contend that it puts too much emphasis on the "cute" and "interesting."  Others have praised its fresh outlook on the themes of the novel.  What would Jane Austen think of the series?  Perhaps that's an unfair question because Austen lived in another era, and 2020s TV show formats and streaming would be strangely foreign to her.  However, one could argue that Austen's truths are timeless and universal.  Whether The Other Bennet Sister has done justice to her work is open to debate.  Still, for Austen fans, it is well worth watching.

SOURCES: Yahoo News; "'The Other Bennet Sister': How to watch the show in Canada and U.S. with Bridgerton 'Young Sherlock' stars," Elisabetta Bianchini, April 5, 2026; "The Kansas City Star, "The Other Bennet Sister: US Premiere Date, Cast and Streaming Details," by Hanna Wickes, April 1, 2026; The Charlotte Observer, "Pride and Prejudice's Most Overlooked Sister Now Has Her Own Show: When Does It Drop In the US?" by Hanna Wickes, April 1, 2026; The Conversation (the conversation.com), "The Other Bennet Sister: this fresh take on Pride and Prejudice transforms the overlooked Mary," March 18, 2026; Wikipedia

- Joanne