Tom Jones (2023 TV series)

Tom Jones is an ITV four-part television drama reimagining Henry Fielding's 1749 novel The History of Tom Jones, A Foundling. It is directed by Georgia Parris and adapted by Gwyneth Hughes, with Solly McLeod playing the eponymous hero Tom Jones. The show premiered on PBS in the United States from 30 April 2023.

This article is about the 2023 TV series. For the 1997 TV series, see The History of Tom Jones: a Foundling (TV series).

Tom Jones
Based onThe History of Tom Jones, A Foundling by Henry Fielding
Written byGwyneth Hughes
Directed byGeorgia Parris
Starring
Country of originUnited Kingdom
Original languageEnglish
No. of series1
No. of episodes4
Production
Executive producers
  • Gwyneth Hughes
  • Damien Timmer
  • James Gandhi
  • Susanne Simpson
  • Rebecca Eaton
  • Polly Hill
ProducerBenjamin Greenacre
Production companies
Release
Original networkPBS
Original release30 April 2023 (2023-04-30T(PBS))

Cast

Episodes
No.TitleDirected byWritten byOriginal air date [1]U.S. viewers
(millions)
1"Episode 1"Georgia ParrisGwyneth HughesApril 30, 2023 (2023-04-30)N/A
Tom Jones falls in love with his charming neighbour, Sophia. But he’s poor and she’s rich, so their families conspire to keep them apart. Can love conquer all?[2]
2"Episode 2"Georgia ParrisGwyneth HughesMay 7, 2023 (2023-05-07)N/A
Cast out of Paradise Hall, Tom heads to London, with Sophia set to marry Blifil the next day. But that night, she runs away from home in pursuit of Tom, only to find him elsewhere.
3"Episode 3"Georgia ParrisGwyneth HughesMay 14, 2023 (2023-05-14)N/A
Believing all hope of love with Sophia is lost, Tom is seduced by the charms of a dangerous lady. Meanwhile, Sophia finds that life for young women in London society can be cruel.
4"Episode 4"Georgia ParrisGwyneth HughesMay 21, 2023 (2023-05-21)N/A
Lady Bellaston takes her revenge on Tom by revealing their affair to a heartbroken Sophia. Have Lady B and Blifil won, or will long-hidden secrets be revealed in time to save Tom?

Production

Production company Masterpiece teamed with ITV and Mammoth Screen for the Gwyneth Hughes adaptation of the Henry Fielding novel in 2021 with Solly McLeod and Sophie Wilde announced in the main roles.[3][4] Producer and adapter Gwyneth Hughes called the original text "the mother of all romcoms". The miniseries was entirely filmed in Northern Ireland, including Gracehill, Ballymena[5] and at The Regency (Upper Crescent) Belfast.[6] In November 2021 it was announced that Hannah Waddingham had joined the cast.[7][8]

Broadcast

The series premiered in Denmark on DR TV and DR1 14 and 15 April 2023.[9] It debuted in the US on PBS on April 30, 2023,[10] in four parts on Sundays from 30 April to 21 May 2023 at 9 pm (ET).[11] It debuted on 11 May 2023 on ITVX in the United Kingdom.[12]

Reception

Writing for The Daily Telegraph, Anita Singh said, "Tom Jones should be a romp but, for long stretches, it’s positively boring. Up-and-coming actor Solly McLeod captures Tom’s sweet nature but his chemistry with Sophia (Sophie Wilde) is non-existent, and her performance is outdone in every scene by Pearl Mackie as her maid."[13]

Writing for The Guardian, Jack Seale said, "This adaptation of Henry Fielding’s sexy period romance is recast as a tale of a moping wally falling for a dullard – and the spark never lights."[14]

In the Evening Standard, Melanie McDonagh gave the series 3 out of 5 stars and said, "There’s class and sex and money, those failsafe themes of English fiction. And there’s Hannah Waddingham as Lady Bellaston who does snobbish sneers and big hair like no one else in the business. ... So, a nice four part series for a bit of uplift then. The great thing about Tom Jones is that it’s not Jane Austen and it’s not Dickens. So, other than a 1990s BBC series and a rollicking Albert Finney version in 1963 there haven’t been umpteen versions done already.[15]

References
  1. "Shows A-Z – Gotham Knights on CW". The Futon Critic. Retrieved 4 March 2023.
  2. "Tom Jones". ITVX. Retrieved 10 June 2023.
  3. "MASTERPIECE, ITV and Mammoth Screen team up for Tom Jones". ITV.com.
  4. "Solly McLeod & Sophie Wilde Starring In 'Tom Jones' Reimagining For Masterpiece, Mammoth Screen & ITV". Deadline.
  5. "Major TV drama series filming in Ballymena". Love Ballymena. 27 June 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2023.
  6. "New 'Tom Jones' Footage Spotlights Solly McLeod and Sophie Wilde's Sizzling Chemistry". The Collider.
  7. "Tom Jones: Hannah Waddingham joins the cast of ITV's latest series based on the literary classic". Stylist.co.uk.
  8. "Ted Lasso star cast in new ITV period drama – and it looks incredible". Hello Magazine.
  9. Dohrmann, Jan (13 April 2023). "Næste uges DR: 'De voksne døde, jeg lever' - Trine Marie Ilsøe ser på makaber mordsag i 'Kriminelt'" (in Danish). DR. Retrieved 15 April 2023.
  10. "PBS Reveals 2023 Debut Dates: When To See 'All Creatures Great And Small,' 'Vienna Blood,' 'Tom Jones' And More". Deadline.
  11. "'Tom Jones': Masterpiece On PBS Unveils Trailer & Premiere Date". Deadline.
  12. https://www.itv.com/watch/tom-jones/10a1744
  13. Singh, Anita (4 May 2023). "Tom Jones is one of the funniest, lustiest novels of all time – so why have ITVX stripped it bare?". The Telegraph. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  14. Seale, Jack (4 May 2023). "Tom Jones review – this show should sizzle … but there's absolutely zero chemistry here". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 24 May 2023.
  15. McDonagh, Melanie (May 2023). "Tom Jones on ITVX review: Hannah Waddingham leaves a real mark in this tale of class, sex and money". standard.co.uk. Retrieved 15 May 2023.
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