PBS has announced the premiere date for The Forsytes, its upcoming costume drama based on John Galsworthy’s books and starring Susan Hampshire, one of the stars of the 1960s BBC adaptation of the same stories, as well as True Blood‘s Stephen Moyer, Jack Davenport, Eleanor Tomlinson, Millie Gibson, and more (it’s also already been renewed for a second season, which will see Outlander‘s Richard Rankin join the cast).
From PBS Masterpiece and Mammoth Screen comes “a major new reimagining” of Galsworthy’s Forsyte novels, PBS shares. “Planned as a returning series, the first season of six episodes follows the lives of the wealthy Forsyte family in 1880s London and is based on Galsworthy’s Nobel Prize-winning tale of love, loyalty, ambition, and betrayal.” PBS promises the series will be “lavish.”
The period drama is already making history for PBS Masterpiece. The show, which is the third adaptation of The Forsyte Saga book series by Galsworthy, is a rare British production to be green-lit by an American network, PBS. Typically, with PBS programming, it’s British shows that get picked up by the network for U.S. distribution. Clearly, there’s something special about this upcoming title, as PBS has officially renewed it for a second season before Season 1 even debuts.
Additionally, based on the trailer and photos from Season 1, The Forsytes appears to be a sexier show than PBS tends to produce. The network describes the series as one that will appeal to fans of Bridgerton and The Gilded Age, as well as Downton Abbey. PBS calls it “a lavish reimagining.”
Here, find a breakdown of all there is to know about this upcoming series that’s already making a splash.
When does The Forsytes premiere on PBS?
The Forsytes premieres on Sunday, March 22, 2026. All six episodes will be available to stream via the PBS app and PBS Masterpiece on Prime Video, with a weekly broadcast on PBS taking place on Sundays at 9/8c.
In the U.K., the show debuted on Channel 5 on October 20. Channel 5 and PBS also collaborate on the distribution of All Creatures Great and Small.
Is there a Forsytes trailer?
Yes! Meet the characters in the video at the top of the page.
Who is in PBS’ The Forsytes cast?
PBS
The Forsytes cast is star-studded. In addition to the stars mentioned above, the cast includes Francesca Annis, Josette Simon, Tom Durant-Pritchard, and more.
Annis stars as the formidable Forsyte matriarch Ann, with Moyer as her eldest son, Jolyon Senior, head of the family stockbroking firm Forsyte & Co. Danny Griffin plays his bohemian son Jo, Tuppence Middleton is Jo’s status-driven wife Frances, and Tomlinson plays Louisa Byrne, a Soho dressmaker and Jo’s first love.
Davenport plays Ann’s competitive younger son James, with Joshua Orpin as James’ shrewd and sometimes ruthless son Soames. Gibson plays Irene, the dancer whom Soames falls in love with. Miss Scarlet‘s Durant Pritchard plays Monty Dartie, James’s son-in-law. Simon is Mrs. Ellen Parker Barrington, a wealthy heiress and friend of the Forsyte family, with Jamie Flatters as architect Philip Bosinney and Owen Igiehon as lawyer Isaac Cole. Hampshire, star of the 1967 BBC Forsyte Saga for which she received the first of her three lead actress Emmys, plays Lady Carteret.
Fiona Button plays Mrs. Clarissa Heron, Irene’s (Gibson) stepmother, and Tristan Sturrock plays Professor Heron, Irene’s father. Justine Moore plays June Forsyte, the 18-year-old daughter of Frances (Middleton) and stepdaughter of Jolyon Forsyte (Griffin). Eleanor Jackson is Winifred Forsyte, daughter of James (Davenport) and wife of Monty (Durant Pritchard). Naomi Frederick plays Emily Forsyte, James’ wife. Sharon Rose is Alicia Cole, wife of Jolyon’s best friend, Isaac (Igiehon).
Is The Forsytes renewed?
Yes! It’s already filming in the U.K., and PBS Masterpiece has provided a plot description for the second season, confirming which characters from Season 1 will return.
“In this next chapter, the proud dynasty faces a new era of scandal, ambition, and shifting loyalties. As love, legacy, and reputation collide, the cracks in the family’s polished façade grow ever deeper,” the Season 2 description reads.
Who is in The Forsytes Season 2 cast?
L-R: Sarah Alexander, Richard Rankin, Nia Ashi (Courtesy of PBS Masterpiece)
Rankin joins The Forsytes Season 2 cast alongside Sarah Alexander (Pennyworth, Jonathan Creek) and Nia Ashi (Bob Marley: One Love). Their characters have not yet been revealed.
The returning cast includes Annis, Davenport, Durant-Prichard, Frederick, Flatters, Gibson, Griffin, Igiehon, Jackson, Middleton, Moore, Moyer, Orpin, Tomlinson, and Hampshire.
Head of scripted content and executive producer for Masterpiece Susanne Simpson said in a June 12 statement, “We’re so pleased with the first season of The Forsytes that we’re thrilled to continue the story into Season 2 with our stellar cast. We’re confident that our Masterpiece audience will quickly come to love the intrigue, romance, and drama that this series brilliantly brings to the screen.” Masterpiece is presented on PBS by GBH Boston.
The Forsytes reunites Masterpiece with acclaimed British screenwriter Debbie Horsfield and U.K. production company Mammoth Screen, the team behind global television hit Poldark, which also starred Forsyte cast members Tomlinson and Sturrock.
The Forsytes is directed by Meenu Gaur (Murder Is Easy) and Annetta Laufer (Get Millie Black) and is produced by Sarah Lewis (The Long Shadow). Filming is currently underway in the U.K. and Venice, Italy. The executive producers are Sheena Bucktowonsing, Debbie Horsfield, Meenu Gaur, and Damien Timmer for Mammoth Screen, part of ITV Studios, and Susanne Simpson for MASTERPIECE. The Forsytes is produced in association with ITV Studios, which will handle international distribution, with PBS Distribution handling North American rights.
BBC first adapted the novels in 1967. The second adaptation was created by ITV and came out in 2002.
The Forsytes, Series Premiere, Sunday, March 22, 9/8c, PBS
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