When Miss Austen first arrived on PBS Masterpiece, it was announced as a limited series. However, we know that limited series can end up being developed into something bigger, and it looks like that is happening here.
Rather than being a “second season” of Miss Austen, the new series is going to be billed as a sequel series, titled Miss Austen Returns. It is still based on a novel by Gill Hornby, who wrote the original Miss Austen novel, and Andrea Gibb will return to pen the scripts for the new series. Yes, Keeley Hawes is back as Cassandra Austen, as there couldn’t be a return series without her.
What is Miss Austen Returns about?
The new series will be based on the novel The Elopement by Gill Hornby, according to Deadline. This novel was optioned at the same time as the first book, and that makes a lot of sense to help keep the production together and limit the costs for the sets. PBS Masterpiece and BBC will continue to work together to produce the series.
The Elopement picks up years after the events of Miss Austen, somewhere around the 1820s. It covers a branch of the Austen family that is connected to Cassandra. As we know, the Austen family had many children, but Jane is the one that most people will know about. Her brothers have large families, and one of them saw Cassandra be deeply attached to, as she helped with the raising of the children after the death of her father to support her mother and sister.
When could Miss Austen Returns arrive on PBS Masterpiece?
I wouldn’t expect the sequel to arrive this year. The series has just been picked up and writing has only just started. We could potentially see filming later this year, but we’re likely looking at late 2026 for Miss Austen Returns to air on the BBC in the UK.
PBS Masterpiece is sure to get it second, and that could be in 2027. While it is a fair while away, there is a lot to look forward to. However, it’ll probably be over as soon as it starts, very much like the first season. After all, there were only four episodes to the first part of the story.
Miss Austen is still available to stream on PBS Masterpiece.
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