PBS Announces Dates for Season 2 of Last Tango in Halifax and I’m Not Happy – Updated

Getting wed

PBS announced that the second season of Last Tango in Halifax will air on PBS beginning Sunday June 29, 2014.

You read that right: June 29. Five months from now.

As far as I’m concerned here at Old Ain’t Dead, that’s a unacceptable delay and wait.

Blimey

Okay, I am pretty upset with PBS. And I was trying to stage a revolt against the 5 month wait on my  little blog. Then I heard from Tony Gardner, who plays John on Last Tango in Halifax.

So here’s the thing. Last Tango in Halifax

  1. is pretty much the best show on earth
  2. is home to great actors and I don’t want to stuff any of them

So I’ve decided not to encourage you to violate any intellectual property laws in an effort to override the inertia of PBS. I’ve also decided to wait to publish my recaps until PBS actually airs the show in June.

I Hate This

I hate the fact that in an Internet-connected world where there is no place, no geography, any longer,  we are bound by geographic restrictions on content.

I hate PBS taking its sweet time to air something that is out in the ether in a million other ways. Why are they so slow? What’s the purpose of the delay? Why not simulcast it like Doctor Who? Why not show it shortly after the British version has shown like Downton Abbey?

Is it about money? Doesn’t the show have good enough ratings?

Yes, I’ve seen season 2 on the BBC. It isn’t that I’m dying of curiosity because I haven’t seen it yet. But – and this is a big but, I will watch the whole series AGAIN when it comes out on PBS. It isn’t that knowing season 2 is going to prevent me from seeing it on PBS. I’ll watch it on PBS. Whatever I contribute to PBS in ratings when the show airs is still coming their way.

Here’s the real point for me: PBS is taking too freaking long to bring the show to America. Too freaking long.

I may rant about this until June.

 


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12 thoughts on “PBS Announces Dates for Season 2 of Last Tango in Halifax and I’m Not Happy – Updated”

  1. Jane Hutchinson

    Hi Virginia. I finished watching the last 2 episodes of season 2, yesterday, and I will watch each episode when it airs on PBS, beginning in June. No problem with that, as I am watching and enjoying the new episodes of Downton Abbey on TV.

    My only dilemma is that I want to comment about season 2, Last Tango, but, I must hold my tongue until the episodes air this summer. In particular, you and your readers know I like to comment about Paul, Sacha Dhawan, my favorite character and actor on the show. Sorry, Tony. I left season 1 thinking that, despite the age difference, Paul and Gillian are right for each other, like minded personalities, comedic with a bad boy-bad girl past and sexual appetite. Robbie is a straight laced policeman. Opposites attract. But, like personalities stay together. I’m convinced that none of your readers agree with me.

    I lose something in the translation when I watch several episodes in a row, on You Tube. So, I look forward to watching the episodes spaced a week apart. That allows time to reflect and really grasp the story line. I also felt that the series was far too intense when the episodes were watched in one day, intensely.

    Tony Gardner is right and, in the past, episodes from other series have been yanked from You Tube (for copyright infringement?).

    1. @Jane, Wanting to comment right now about season 2 may be part of what’s annoying me so much as well. I feel like people have seen it and, like you, want to talk about it.

      Sorry about Paul. If you look at Sacha Dhawan’s page on IMDB, you’ll see that he’s been in a number of things from 2012-2014. Perhaps he had scheduling problems.

  2. I think the big question is do we need PBS to view BBC content? In the past it was the only way Americans could groove on BBC dramas.

    Now that there is BBC America and other legal and not so legal ways to view BBC content this puts PBS in a pickle. June is fundraising month. You have content you want to see then you got to pony up for it.

    At some point PBS will become non-essential for oversees dramas. The service will be force to re-invent itself. They probably should start now.

    1. @Gena, I so agree. Last year when PBS showed Last Tango in Halifax they cut out bits of it here and there. If they are showing it during fundraising, I expect it may get even more chopped up.

      I love PBS. I love NPR. I’ve supported both all my adult life. But putting this show off until June is annoying me into a frenzy.

  3. Jane Hutchinson

    For some reason I am not getting your follow-up comments, even though I check off the boxes. I’ll have to figure it out.
    Anyway, I revisited this thread and I agree with both comments.

    I didn’t mention Sacha Dhawan exiting the show. But, ya, that was a bit of a downer for me. I think the writer(s) would have kept Paul as part of the show if not for his scheduling conflicts. Like I said, scheduling conflicts can effect the plot, as actors exit. Anyway, in season 1 it appeared that Paul was jealous of Gillian’s suitors. However, in season 1, we also see that Gillian brushes Paul off as being too young, a nuisance and someone who she learned to never trust enough to confide in. But, if she could confide in him, I think he would understand and sympathize with her better than all the other characters. Two peas in a pod, in the screwed up department. Actually, in season 1, Bad Boy Paul seems to redeem himself and become someone who can be trusted, while Gillian continues her untrustworthy Bad Girl ways, like her affair with Caroline’s husband, John. Is Gillian a Bad Girl? I can’t comment about season 2 yet….

  4. Jane Hutchinson

    Hi Virginia. I’ve been watching Scott and Bailey, a crime show that is co-created by Sally Wainwright and co-produced by Nicola Walker (Gillian, Last Tango…). Nicola has appeared in several episodes and unfortunately she plays a rather screwed up, not in control character. Sound familiar? I’m hoping to see Nicola in another type of role, one different from her Last Tango and Scott and Bailey roles, someone more in control, less burdened by her past.

    1. Is that on PBS or something I could catch on a streaming service? I have a vague sense that I looked at it and rejected it because all the lead characters were male, but if Sally Wainwright and Nicola Walker are involved it does sound promising.

  5. Jane Hutchinson

    Virginia, I am not getting notice about comments on these threads. So, I apologize for not answering. I’ll look into why I am not getting these comments. You’ve found the series. Great! And, thanks for your mention of me in your Scott and Bailey article. I love the show. Watch it every Wednesday night. Strong female characters. Great writing!

    1. @Jane, I suspect there’s something wrong with the blog, if you’ve checked the box for follow up emails and you aren’t getting them. My problem is, I have no idea where to even look for that to check on it in the inner workings of WordPress.

      1. Jane Hutchinson

        I just received an email notifying me of your last comment. So, this time it worked. I have to remember to check off the 2 “notify me” boxes. But, I didn’t check them off last time and I received the email anyway.

  6. Jane Hutchinson

    The only other PBS series I can recommend is “Silk” about a woman barrister, a strong character, who outshines all of her peers. I don’t know if the series has been renewed. Anyway, I really liked it and hope it will be renewed.

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