This series disappointed me terribly. I watched the first two episodes and had to stop there. It just put me in a foul mood. I felt as if some TV executives sat around a table and debated how best to revisit the Edwardian era that was handled with such panache in Downton Abbey and settled on this misbegotten story. The real Harry Selfridge was a very troubled man (many think he was actually bipolar) who had a creative, flamboyant side that he showed the public. (Although he was NOT PT Barnum, as these showrunners seem to think, he still abided by most of the propriety of Edwardian London.) But this Harry is Jeremy Piven playing a toned-down Ari Gold transported back in time (anachronistic colloquialisms and all), and not even as well as he played Ari Gold. (I'm not sure if its writing, directing, or acting, but I'm guessing its a combination). All the principal characters are bland and lack motivation (although Frances O'Connor and Zoe Tapper stand above the fray somewhat), the writing is really uneven, and the photography is even more uneven. Several of the supporting characters do stand out, giving the "downstairs" group (the shopgirls and waiters, for example) stories that a bit more interesting, but even that is not nearly as fulsome as Downton. I will give the production arts team a tip of the hat, as the sets and costumes are top notch and would be even more gorgeous if they were photographed more effectively. I do agree with other reviewers that all the leading women look too similar. Granted, that was a look that women sought at the time (the Gibson Girl), but this takes place in London, where you do find many blondes and gingers as well as brunettes. All in all, considering the tragedies of the real Harry Selfridge, I just can't see how they plan to get from here to there under the current cumbersome and poorly done arrangement. They'd have been better off doing a story about the Wanamaker family or Marshall Fields (where the real Harry got his start), and let the UK and US enjoy a period piece about the Roaring 90s and real creation of the modern department store, rather than doing upstairs, downstairs in a London department store.
Review of Mr Selfridge
