The Other Bennet Sister

It is a thing of pure delight.

The Other Bennet Sister is hands down the best Austen-inspired series to hit television in years, if not decades, surpassing the likes of Masterpiece on PBS’s Sanditon. Its fresh approach to classic material only enhances Austen’s enduring genius.

The Other Bennet Sister is so breezy and full of heart, most viewers will fall for it right away.

The performances are first-rate, Ms. Bruccoleri above all, though Ms. Varma is wonderful. So is Ms. Jones, even though Mrs. Bennet is a shrewish plague upon her most introverted daughter. It is a credit to principal writer Sarah Quintrell that the peculiarities of the characters in “Pride and Prejudice” become more acute as they age.

It’s incredibly tough to inject freshness into stories so frequently retold. But The Other Bennet Sister provides the ideal hit, combining all the comfort-watching pleasure of a beloved classic with the anticipation of following a previously little-known character on a brand new journey of self-discovery.

“The Other Bennet Sister” is best when it tries to imagine the very human person whose older sisters are Jane and Elizabeth Bennet. Ella Bruccoleri is a real asset as Mary.

These brisk, half-hour episodes canter along with a deftly light touch, meaning that scenes aren’t always subtle but they are extremely watchable.