The Grand

I thoroughly enjoyed season one. I became so engrossed I actually imagined they were real people. I felt for them. I was there. The scenes were amazing: 1) the son kissing/sobbing his love who admitted her true nature; 2) the wife and the brother looking at each other while the symphony played in the last episode of season one. It was spellbinding, another world, a dream. I was jolted, rather violently out of this dream during season two. The people were replaced with characters of themselves, who talked differently, interacted differently, and in some cases looked different. Actors/Actresses who were amazing were switched for horrible versions the second season. It would have been better to have gotten rid of them in this case. The script seemed forced and the characters who you grew to know and understand were acting grossly unlike themselves. I honestly could only get through two episodes of the second season. So sad. I will tell anyone, watch the 1st Season of the Grand...and that's it.

British period soap opera in the `Duchess of Duke Street' tradition set in a high-class Manchester hotel in the nineteen-twenties. A remarkably well preserved Susan Hampshire plays an aging courtesan to the gentry, Tim Healey is excellent as Jacob, the all-seeing Hall Porter with principles and Mark McGann is perfect casting as devious, supercilious hotel proprietor Marcus Bannerman.

However, a couple of cast changes to major characters cause confusion and some of the storylines, especially the surrogate baby issue, become extremely far-fetched.

Watch out for spunky little chambermaid Kate. She's played by Rebecca Callard, daughter of Beverley who was the lovely Liz Macdonald in the legendary `Coronation Street'. A soap dynasty in the making?

Typical English attention to production values by way of sets & costumes makes this undemanding entertainment.

This series had me hooked from the first episode. The period stuff was done well, in the English tradition, and the acting and writing were first-rate. Yes, the majority of the characters are reprehensible, but they are human, and yes, justice does prevail for them. All of the actors are good, with the magnificent Susan Hampshire a stand-out in a well-modulated performance as a Madam with a heart-of-gold. The characters change from season one to season two, but the interest never wanes. I do not understand the negative reviews that I have seen for this series, but I really enjoyed it. Further, this series had a most satisfactory conclusion which really left me feeling uplifted.

Of the many extended series from England, I think this is the best conceived & written. 3 dimensional, complex characters, rejection of obvious, feel good, wrap-it-up-neatly plot lines make it the most fascinating of classy soap operas. Flawless acting, direction. Engrossing.

My wife and I thoroughly enjoyed The Grand. The other review on this page is accurate in all of it's particulars but does not capture the feeling of opulence and grandeur that the series brings to the small screen. Contrary to the other comments, one does care about the characters from the original Bannerman's to the quintessential bad guy, Marcus. The writing, though smattered with some convenient dramatic plot devices, is terrific. The single best episode, when Clive goes home to see his father, is a masterpiece of writing, with compassion for someone "different", the ultimate outsider among so many others in this cast of characters. The unexpected turn at the end is marvelous. We are watching "Duchess of Duke Street" concomitantly with "TG" and the acting is so much better and deeper, the characters so much more filled out and the story lines so much better, that there is no comparison. We highly recommend that you stick with it. You will be rewarded. Incidentally, we got this out of our public library on VHS, so look for it there.