When All Creatures Great and Small first came out, we got stories in each year. It all started in 1937 and then we got a year to a season, with the fifth season wrapping up at Christmas in 1941. We were sure it meant that All Creatures Great and Small season 6 would deliver a 1942 storylines.
Then the images for the season came out, surprising us with the reveal that there would be a three-year time jump. The premiere episode made it clear that we’re at the end of World War II, and there is a good reason for that, even if it means something feels like it’s missing.
Why did All Creatures Great and Small season 6 jump three years?
Executive producer Melissa Gallant explained to CBS 19 News that the time jump was necessary. While the series has two more seasons currently confirmed, if the show remained during World War II, it would mean there were more seasons during the war compared to outside of the war, and nobody really wanted that.
It meant jumping ahead to the end of the War, although that has left a lot of questions. After all, lives were on the line, and we need to know how they’ve ended up at VE Day in May 1945.
While there are some fans on Reddit who are disappointed by the jarring time jump, others are happy with it. There are plenty of dramas out there that focus on World War II, and we don’t necessarily need another one. This series is supposed to be about Yorkshire veterinarian James Herriot and his family, and some of the War storylines take from that.
Sure, there are rich storylines, and there is an importance to focus on real history. At the same time, we need entertainment, and we need to see that the characters have room to grow.
Filling in the gaps in the time jump on All Creatures Great and Small
One thing this time jump will offer is a chance to explain the arcs from the three years that are missing. Other shows have managed it with style and success, such as One Tree Hill, and it can mean introducing new characters without the awkward introduction phases. People are already in the lives of others, and we get to know them in a slightly more organic way.
We’ll also get to see a darkness to some characters. We’re so used to Siegfried Farnon brother being chatty and sometimes a little annoying, but he will no longer be like that. His time in Italy has changed him, and it’s something that the series needs to focus on. So, the War will still be remembered, but this time jump allows for the aftermath, which can be often more haunting than during it.
All Creatures Great and Small airs on Sundays at 9/8c on PBS.