PBS Masterpiece Revives a 120-Year-Old Classic and Critics Are Divided

A 120-year-old literary saga has found new life on American television — and critics are largely on board. The Forsytes, a new 6-part series now airing on PBS as part of its Masterpiece lineup, has landed with solid reviews following its UK premiere in October 2025. The show is based on The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, a work that has been captivating readers since the early 1900s and has been adapted for the screen more than once over the past century.

For fans of prestige British drama — the kind PBS has built its reputation on — this is exactly the type of series worth paying attention to. But how does a story rooted in Edwardian England hold up in 2026? The Rotten Tomatoes score tells part of that story.

What Is The Forsytes and Where Does It Come From?

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy is one of the most celebrated works of early 20th-century British literature. Galsworthy began publishing the saga around the turn of the century, making The novels trace the lives, loves, and conflicts of the Forsyte family, an upper-middle-class English dynasty whose fortunes and relationships shift dramatically across generations.

The story has proven itself adaptable before. British television has visited this material in previous decades, which makes the 2025–2026 version a remake in the truest sense — not just an adaptation of a book, but a reimagining of a story that has already lived on screen. That history raises the stakes. Audiences familiar with earlier versions will inevitably make comparisons, and critics tend to hold remakes to a higher standard.

The new series premiered in the UK in October 2025 before crossing the Atlantic to debut on PBS Masterpiece in the United States in early 2026.

How The Forsytes Is Performing on Rotten Tomatoes

The series has earned what reviewers are calling a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes — not a breakout sensation, but a respectable reception that suggests the show delivers on its core promise of quality period drama. For a remake of material this well-known and this frequently revisited, landing in positive critical territory is genuinely meaningful.

PBS Masterpiece has a long track record of importing British prestige dramas that perform well with American audiences, and The Forsytes appears to be following that familiar pattern. The show’s structure — six episodes, giving it room to breathe without overstaying its welcome — suits the multigenerational sweep of Galsworthy’s original narrative.

Why This Kind of Show Still Matters to American Audiences

There is something quietly remarkable about the fact that a story written over a century ago continues to find new audiences through television. The Forsyte Saga deals with themes — inheritance, class, marriage, loyalty, and the slow erosion of old social orders — that have never really gone out of fashion. If anything, those subjects feel more resonant now than they might have a decade ago.

PBS Masterpiece has long served as the American home for exactly this kind of drama. From Downton Abbey to Victoria, the network has a proven formula: take a sweeping British story, give it high production values, and trust that a dedicated audience will show up. The Forsytes fits comfortably within that tradition.

The six-episode format also deserves attention. In an era when streaming services often release sprawling ten- or twelve-episode seasons that lose momentum, a tightly structured six-part series forces storytelling discipline. Every episode has to carry weight. For a saga that spans generations, that constraint is actually a creative advantage — it keeps the narrative moving rather than allowing it to settle into the comfortable pacing of an endless prestige drama.

What a “Solid” Score Actually Means for a Remake Like This

Not every show needs to be a cultural phenomenon to be worth watching. A solid critical score for a remake of a 120-year-old literary classic means something specific: the production has honored its source material, delivered competent and likely beautiful period filmmaking, and given audiences something that feels both familiar and fresh.

For devoted fans of British period drama, that is often enough. These are viewers who return to this genre precisely because it delivers on expectations — the costumes, the language, the moral complexity dressed in Edwardian restraint. A show that does all of that well, without embarrassing itself or its source, has done its job.

The fact that critics have responded positively on both sides of the Atlantic suggests The Forsytes has achieved that balance. It premiered in the UK in autumn 2025 and arrived in the US without losing momentum — a sign that the series travels well, which is not always guaranteed even for quality British productions.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Forsytes based on?
The series is based on The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy, a classic of British literature that is approximately 120 years old.

How many episodes does The Forsytes have?
The Forsytes is a 6-part series.

Where can American viewers watch The Forsytes?
The series is airing in the United States on PBS as part of its Masterpiece lineup.

When did The Forsytes premiere in the UK?
The series made its UK debut in October 2025 before arriving in the US in early 2026.

Is The Forsytes a remake?
Yes — The Forsyte Saga has been adapted for television before, making this new 6-part series a remake of both the original novels and earlier screen versions.

What is the Rotten Tomatoes score for The Forsytes?
The series has earned a solid score on Rotten Tomatoes, though a specific numerical figure has not been confirmed in the available reporting.