Masterpiece Theatre and the Uses of Tradition

Abstract

Masterpiece Theatre could easily have had a short run after its debut in 1970 or become a show of specials like Great Performances and American Playhouse. Instead, it led a wave of British programming on American public television that has lasted fourteen years. This success is related to the fact that the show is neither a masterpiece, nor a theatre, nor a collection of individual programs, but a literary tradition.

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