ridiculous rating

Excellent but underrated film

Absolutely Fantastic

Blistering performances.

Season two is even better! Why only three episodes though?

We just sat down with our (first of many, hopefully) annual viewing of the entire Cranford cycle, and it has won an honored place in our collection of powerful, and sweet, stories of strong and loving people, in communities of both tradition and change. Remembering that adaptations of beloved literature do take some license, is as important to us, as knowing that, although Miss Deborah may be s stickler for rules and form, there are times when even she may adjust to the necessity of human kindness.Please tell us that the events of the last episode will continue into another Cranford series, for we wish to see more of all the strong and loving inhabitants of Mrs. Gaskell's fictional Cheshire in the 1840's.

"Cranford" is the type of drama, in writing (starts with a novel), acting and directing that the British do so well, a period piece that runs the viewer through the gamut of emotions -- frustration, anger, joy, relief, etc. -- in reaction to oh-so-subtle variations of human behavior, by illustrating the mores of the time, from quaint to maddening by modern standards on one hand, to the human generosity which defies them on the other.As befit the greatest tales, there are several main characters with deftly interwoven stories here, so one must look elsewhere beyond these comments for knowledge of the characters and plot; but let me conclude by saying that "Cranford" has more HEART than any piece I've seen in quite some time. Shown as a "Masterpiece Classic" on America's PBS network, "Cranford" truly, truly, truly lived up to the Masterpiece moniker, with a capital M.

Not a dry eye in the house as this came to a close last night. Absolute perfection. Never has a better cast been assembled for a t.v. drama. For me, Imelda Staunton shone, with her fantastic comic timing, but they were all excellent. A departure from the usual Dickens or Austen ( which I adore) in that the plot is more episodic and less dark. There are no obvious villains and few mysteries to unravel. More of a 19th century Archers. However, the insight into the people of the time and into social history is fascinating. Some hilarious lines mixed with occasional haunting tragedy which makes you empathise with its many characters regardless of their faults. Everyone I know has been watching this and all would rate this as the best thing on t.v this year.