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Watch Five Jane Austen Stories with PBS Passport

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We did something we've never done before. We purchased three additional shows from the BBC just for folks with PBS Passport here at PBS SoCal and KCET.

You can now stream three classic Jane Austen miniseries — "Mansfield Park," "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice." That makes a total of five Jane Austen shows you can watch with Passport (including "Northanger Abbey" and "Sanditon"). It's a nearly endless supply of fancy parties, gossip and awkward misunderstandings on the road to romance.

See below for more information on the full line-up, and you can also find the episodes here in a hub of all things Jane Austen.


Pride & Prejudice

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Here's the story of a lovely lady who was bringing up five very lovely girls. There's the pretty one, the one who thinks she's better than everyone, the silly one, and the boy-crazy one. But of course, you're going to get behind the headstrong, obstinate one. Mom wants only one thing: for all her girls to be married. Dad just wants them to be happy, which doesn't go over well with Mom. This story is basically Jane Austen does "Taming of the Shrew," except the shrew is a dude... a dude named Colin Firth. Click here to watch now.


Sense & Sensibility

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Promise me you won't tell the high school version of myself, but I enjoyed the heck out of this show. Maybe it's just that, with everything in the news these days, you need to escape to a place where people say things like, "Perhaps it was rather ill-judged. But oh, Ellie, I do love him." Or maybe it's just that Andrew Davies really knows how to write a story. Dan Stevens is in this — and I can absolutely guarantee his character doesn't crash his car (sorry, too soon?). Also, my new life goal is to find a moment I can call someone a hobbledehoy. Click here to watch now.


Mansfield Park

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Now, this is a story all about
how Fanny’s life flipped-turned upside down
She made one little mistake and her fate was sealed
Norris said, 'You're movin' with your auntie and uncle in Mansfield'

This is basically the story of "The Fresh Prince of Bel Air," except that Fanny’s the fuddy duddy and the crazy and/or fun-having ones all live in the fancy house. Will she ever be able to find happiness? This one first aired 1983 and it’s fascinating to see how much portrayals of Jane Austen stories have changed over the years. Click here to watch now.


Pro tip: Because "Mansfield Park," "Sense & Sensibility" and "Pride & Prejudice" came from the BBC and not PBS, they don’t show up in the Drama category in the PBS app. Just search the app for the first word in the title and you’ll find them.


Sanditon

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If I had one word to describe this story, it would be “licentious.” There’s swooning over a man of mystery, a cranky old lady who says WHATEVER she wants to people, a beautiful woman who just wants to be a decent person and other beautiful people who have zero interest in decency. Come find out why #Sanditon has been tweeted over six million times. Second favorite line: "It seems I had underestimated the boundless depths of your venality." Favorite line: "And then, he has the effrontery to handle my pineapple!" Click here to watch now.


Northanger Abbey

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Catherine reads. A lot. She reads so much that she starts imagining terrible scandals, vicious monsters and ravishing romances around every corner. But this is real life. That kind of stuff doesn’t happen in real life … right? You’ll get to Felicity Jones right out of Oxford — before "Star Wars," "The Theory of Everything" and all those other fancy Hollywood movies. In the story, they constantly talk about two books: "The Mysteries of Udolpho" and "The Monk." I kept wondering if they were real so I looked them up. It turns out both are quite real and are filled with stories that would make you blush — spooky castles, witchcraft and all the violations of all manner of sacred vows. Northanger Abbey is only available until January 2021, so be sure to watch this one soon. Click here to watch now.


Still have some questions about PBS Passport? Read below for more information.

  • So what is Passport, anyway? Passport is the most popular benefit we've ever had at PBS SoCal and KCET. All it takes is a donation of at least $5/month or $60/year to PBS SoCal and KCET.
  • Great ... but how do I watch them? With Passport, you'll be able to stream these shows right on your TV using the PBS app for your Roku, Apple TV, Fire TV, Android TV, or newer Samsung Smart TV. You can also watch at pbssocal.org or on the PBS app for your phone or tablet.
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