Tales from Avonlea: The Complete First Season

Set on Prince Edward Island in the town of Avonlea, this spin-off of the TV movie Anne of Green Gables features various characters and storylines from Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery's acclaimed early 1900s-set young adult novels. The series kicks off with “The Journey Begins,” as paternal business troubles result in pre-teen Sara Stanley (Sarah Polley) being sent to live with her late mother's kin, the upper-crust, tight-knit farming King family. Intertwining the lives of Alec (Cedric Smith), wife Janet (Lally Cadeau), and children Felicity (Gema Zamprogna), Felix (Zachary Bennett), and Cecily (Harmony Cramp), and Alec's spinster sisters—young, good-natured Olivia (Mag Ruffman) and eldest sibling overlord Hetty (Jackie Burroughs)—this first season of Tales from Avonlea focuses on Sara's acclimation to her relatives and country living. From romance and mystery to gossip-fests and old rivalries, the themes and dialogue here are on the family-friendly side (i.e., one of the more vicious retorts is that someone “…doesn't even have a real kitchen floor—just hard-pressed dirt!”). Standouts in this 13-episode debut season include “Quarantine at Alexander Abraham's,” revolving around a smallpox scare that finds Sara and Felix isolated with a crotchety old man, and features Patricia Hamilton and Colleen Dewhurst reprising their Anne roles as Rachel Lynde and Marilla Cuthbert; the hilarious “Proof of the Pudding,” in which tyrannical Felicity is left in charge while the adults are away—and the King kids act out accordingly (cherry pie is thrown!); and the companion episodes “Aunt Abigail's Beau” and “Malcolm and the Baby,” featuring scene-stealing guest star Malcolm Stoddard as a zealous addition to the fold. Sweeping scenic views, touching storylines, superb nuanced acting, and careful attention to period detail make the uplifting Tales from Avonlea (also known as Road to Avonlea or simply Avonlea)—presented in an extra-less, triple-disc boxed set—highly recommended. (J. Williams-Wood)