I used to joke with my mom that she would watch anything that moved on TV unless it was on PBS. But that’s my favorite network. My first real addiction came during “Upstairs, Downstairs.” The four-season series was the most popular Masterpiece Theater program ever, and it had lots of competition. It told of a wealthy family and the servant staff living downstairs. The intertwining of their lives created the intrigue as each episode ended with a new relationship between the two groups beginning. The host at that time was Alistair Cooke. Sesame Street (one of the educational children’s shows, if there’s anyone left who doesn’t know that) had a segment in which Cookie Monster played “Alistair Cookie,” hosting a show called “Upstairs, Downstairs.” The show consisted of Grover going up the stairs, then down the stairs. Doubt many children thought it was as funny as I did.

There were many more to follow that brought quality programming each Sunday night. Some I enjoyed were “George Sand,” “Jeeves and Wooster” (a very young and different Hugh Laurie as Wooster), “Last of the Mohegan’s,” “Anna Karenina,” so many Shakespearian dramas and comedies, many stories from Dickens, historic dramas and other famous authors.

My absolute favorite is “Prime Suspects.” Helen Mirren is superb in the other Masterpieces like “Painted Lady” and “Elizabeth I,” but her portrayal of Jane Tennison amazed me. She received one of her many awards for her portrayal of Lieutenant Tennison, this one for an Emmy (also receiving one for Elizabeth I). She has stated that she is not Jane Tennison, yet she becomes her and evolves as each program is aired. There is always heightened suspense waiting for the second part in a series to be shown.

Now the complete Jane Austin is keeping me tuned. There are new programs and some that are being rebroadcast. Pride and Prejudice was a former Masterpiece (as it’s now called) that is being shown again for this series. Colin Firth plays Mr. Darcy, reason alone to watch!

Archie Harris delivers consumers the latest Cable TV reviews and deals from regular users like. A tech writer for over 17 years, Mr. Harris navigates his way through the confusing world of cutting edge entertainment and discovers the best consumer friendly deals out there from companies like Comcast Cable, Dish Network, DirecTV, Charter Cable, and Timewarner Cable. If you’re thinking about purchasing cable television make sure you read Archie Harris’ articles first.