Can't get enough of Masterpiece PBS's All Creatures Great and Small? You're in luck. The period show based on the books of James Herriot has already been confirmed for a second season.
Here's what we know so far.
All Creatures Great and Small was renewed for a second season in late 2020.
James Herriot will return once again to Farnon's veterinary practice in Darrowby. Per Deadline, season two is set to begin filming in the Yorshire Dales in early 2021, but production will undoubtedly be impacted by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, and a premiere date has yet to be set.
"I know that filming was planned to go ahead in springtime of 2021," actress Rachel Shenton, who plays Helen on the series told Town & Country in late December 2020. "So, hopefully that's still going to be the case. We live in a bit of a strange world at the moment, but hopefully that can still happen."
It will return to PBS in January.
Go ahead and mark your calendars for Sunday, January 9, 2022 at 9/8 central. Watch a sneak peek of what's to come here:
Executive producer Colin Callender sees the delay in production as an "odd silver lining."
"There is a bizarre, slightly odd silver lining for us, because we are using this time to commission Ben Vanstone [the writer] and the writing team to work on season two, with the hope of getting back into production in the New Year on the second season," Callender said, per Radio Times. "And so we’re able to use this lockdown period to work on the development and script development."
All the show's major players are all set to return.
There is one major exception, though: All Creatures Great and Small was one of Dame Diana Rigg's final film roles. Rigg, who played Mrs. Pumphrey, passed away in September at the age of 82. Back in December, Callender told Radio Times "final decisions" have yet to be made about how to handle the character in the future.
"For those of you who are already asking the question, ‘What are we going to do as we go forward,’ as we’re thinking about season two we’re looking at what we will do with the character of Mrs Pumphrey and Tricki Woo," Callender said. "So we haven’t made any final decisions on that yet."
And in 2021, it was confirmed that the character will continue to be featured in the series, and will now be played by Patricia Hodge (A Very English Scandal).
There's plenty of source material.
The real life James Herriot (a.k.a James Alfred Wight) wrote numerous books, including All Creatures Great and Small, All Things Bright and Beautiful, and All Things Wise and Wonderful, so there's plenty to mine for future episodes. And Herriot's children are excited for the series to continue.
“We thought series one of the new All Creatures Great and Small was excellent. It was an immensely enjoyable adaptation of Dad’s books, very professionally acted and produced, and absolutely true to the ‘Herriot ethos,’” they said, following the premiere of season one in the UK.
“We have had wonderful feedback from many and various people, from all walks of life, telling us how they had derived great comfort from watching the new series in these stressful COVID times. We are very hopeful that series two will be equally uplifting and entertaining, and we are greatly looking forward to seeing it.”
James will face a difficult decision in the first episode.
Per Masterpiece PBS: "As season two opens, James returns from Glasgow where he has been visiting his parents for Easter. While there he is offered a job at a modern local veterinary practice and must decide between staying home in Glasgow with his elderly parents or returning to his new life in Yorkshire."
A new still from season two of All Creatures Great and Small.
Playground EntertainmentWatch the first trailer here:
As the digital director for Town & Country, Caroline Hallemann covers culture, entertainment, and a range of other subjects
All Creatures Great and Small Season 2 may have just arrived on most PBS stations this past weekend, but the series is already gearing up for more. Ahead of the show's premiere on Sunday, Jan. 9, co-producers Masterpiece and Channel 5 confirmed that not only was Season 3 a go for late 2022/early 2023 but that the two had gone ahead and renewed the show for a fourth season as well for late 2023/early 2024. That means fans can be comforted there will be more adventures in the Yorkshire Dales until at least the middle of the decade.
The two producers will not mess with what is already working for them, keeping the series orders to six episodes apiece, plus a Christmas special to air over the holiday in the U.K. and act as a season finale for PBS. Season 3 will begin filming in the spring once again (when there are more baby farm animals conveniently around) in the Yorkshire dales. The core cast is set to return for the third round of episodes, and though the press release did not confirm it, probably the fourth set as well. The behind-the-scenes team will also stay intact, with Brian Percival (Downton Abbey) returning as lead director and executive producer and Ben Vanstone (The Last Kingdom) as lead writer and executive producer.
Playground will remind the show's primary producer, with CEO Colin Callender saying: "We want to thank the audience who have so fully embraced the new series. It is their vocal and loyal support that has resulted in this ongoing commitment to the series, and we couldn't be more delighted. It is a joy to produce the show but an even bigger joy to know that there is an audience all over the world hungry to revisit the world of Darrowby in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales and to spend more time with the wonderful inhabitants of Skeldale House."
Though there is little to go on as yet for the new seasons, the synopsis suggests that the interwar period will draw to a close: "Following Herriot as he starts out as a vet in the small Yorkshire Dales village of Darrowby, Season 3 will pick up in the spring of 1939 as the prospect of another World War looms large." With Season 4 also confirmed, fans should anticipate the show will then extend into the 1940s and World War II proper.
All Creatures Great and Small Season 3 (and presumably Season 4) will see the return of Nicholas Ralph as lead role James Herriot, with Samuel West as his boss and leading veterinarian Siegfried Farnon. Anna Madeley will continue as the matriarch of Skeldale House, Mrs. Hall, with Callum Woodhouse as Siegfried's younger brother Tristan. Rachel Shenton will also return as James' love interest (and spoiler alert, eventual wife) Helen Alderson. For those wondering, the real James Herriot (named Alf Wight) married the real-life version of Helen (named Joan) in 1941, so the series could hold out on us on the will they or won't they until the end of Season 4.
Though there are no confirmed dates for Seasons 3 or 4 to premiere, I would venture to guess that American fans can expect them to premiere on the second Sunday of January 2023 and 2024, respectively, at 9 p.m. ET after autumn runs on the far side of the pond. All Creatures Great and Small Season 2 continues with new episodes every Sunday at 9 p.m. ET on most PBS stations. The new season is also available to watch in full, along with Season 1 on PBS Passport. As always, check your local listings.