Thomas & Sarah

With Downton-mania at full steam, the time is opportune for the re-release of this 1979 13-episode Upstairs, Downstairs spin-off, in which real-life couple John Alderton and Pauline Collins re-create their popular characters, Thomas Watkins and Sarah Moffat. As the season opens, Sarah is a single mother and—as ever—“the most amiable of companions” to a sickly woman of means. Thomas, who initially refused to marry Sarah and was not present when the baby was born, is a struggling mechanic looking to make the leap to car salesman, and a wife and child would be “just the feathers” he needs “for my cap.” And that's just the beginning of this delightfully entertaining series that serves up misadventures and get rich schemes gone awry. Not as densely populated as Upstairs, Downstairs (and the cliffhanger ending setting up the scrapped season two is unfortunate), Thomas & Sarah has still aged well, and stands on its own. Recommended. (D. Liebenson)