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3 PBS shows you should watch in January 2024

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A woman poses onstage in Funny Woman.
PBS

It’s always a good time to support your local PBS station, but that’s especially true this month, as the Public Broadcast System has begun 2024 on such a hot streak. Fan-favorite shows like Finding Your Roots and Antiques Roadshow are both back with new seasons, and there’s an abundance of news and nature specials as well.

But our selections for the three PBS shows that you should watch in January are all British dramas that are either returning or debuting this month. And if you’re looking for a complete lineup, check out our roundup of everything new on PBS in January as well.

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Miss Scarlet and the Duke

Stuart Martin and Kate Phillips in Miss Scarlet and the Duke.
Alibi

The fourth season of Miss Scarlet and the Duke is back on Masterpiece, and it’s exactly the kind of British show you’d expect to see on PBS. The series takes place in Victorian London, with Kate Phillips as Eliza Scarlet, perhaps the first and only female private detective of the era. Her childhood friend, William “The Duke” Wellington (Stuart Martin), is a Detective Inspector with the police who has assisted Eliza on many occasions.

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Season 4 begins with Eliza in charge of a new detective agency, Nash & Sons. Unfortunately, her employees abandon her almost immediately. Meanwhile, Eliza and William’s lingering feelings for each other could lead to something more.

Watch Miss Scarlet and the Duke on PBS.

Funny Woman

Gemma Arterton in Funny Woman.
Sky Max

Don’t let the name fool you. Funny Woman is a drama series that just happens to be about a comedy actress in the ’60s. Ex-Bond girl Gemma Arterton headlines the show as Barbara Parker, a former beauty queen who successfully reinvents herself as an actress on British TV and adopts the stage name Sophie Straw. But getting into the industry is one thing — staying in the industry is another challenge altogether.

Watch Funny Woman on PBS.

All Creatures Great and Small

Rachel Shenton and Nicholas Ralph in All Creatures Great and Small.
Channel 5

All Creatures Great and Small is for animal lovers … and romance lovers in general, especially with James (Nicholas Ralph) and Helen Herriot (Rachel Shenton) at the heart of the show and their veterinary practice. As the fourth season begins, World War II has begun, and James’ associate, Tristan Farnon (Callum Woodhouse), has been called off to war — and James might be next. That could put a serious roadblock in the way of James and Helen’s plans for their future as a family.

Meanwhile, Tristan’s brother, Siegfried Farnon (Samuel West), is adding two new people to the practice: the untested Richard Carmody (James Anthony-Rose), and a bookkeeper named Miss Harbottle (Neve McIntosh).

Watch All Creatures Great and Small on PBS.

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Blair Marnell
Blair Marnell
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