Mr Selfridge

I finished this series last night. I watched it faithfully from its debut in North America, but as I look back I can only give it a 7 (good) out of 10, when I so desperately want it to be an 8 (great) or 9 (superb). It had all the makings of those more superlative ratings - a superb supporting cast, an interesting historical backstory, a period drama with wonderful sub-plots, but I felt it was flawed at it's pivotal core - Jeremy Piven didn't have the acting chops to bring title character to life. Too bad. There were some memorable characters that will linger with me, but the central line and character has already faded away, fortunately, because the last moments added injury to insult - all I can say is "Poor Lady Mae, you could have done better." A better ending might have reflected the real life tragedy, that even though Selfridge lost everything, until he could no longer do so, he got up every morning, donned his signature suit and made his way down Oxford and watched from the street as the store, where he was no longer welcomed in, opened for the day.

I was looking for some Downton Abbey replacement and gave this show a chance. For 3 episodes. Too few likable characters, too generic plot. I was glad when I made the decision to quit.

Just finished this today. It was good. Typical british historical drama series. I thought Jeremy was good throughout the series but I felt it was all a bit chaotic. Subplots were added, drama was made where it shouldn't have been. A little too predictable. But definitely some really good moments in it. If you like british period pieces about retail stores, I recommend watching The Paradise over this. It was a competitor from the BBC and ran for just 2 seasons.