Where's 'Wallander'? 'HYY pre-empts 'Masterpiece' for $
Where's "Wallander"? That's what some viewers were asking Sunday night as WHYY pre-empted "Masterpiece Mystery!" for a pledge-related documentary about a dance photographer.
Where's 'Wallander'? 'HYY pre-empts 'Masterpiece' for $
Ellen Gray, Daily News TV Critic
Where's "Wallander"?
That's what some viewers were asking Sunday night as WHYY pre-empted "Masterpiece Mystery!" for a pledge-related documentary about a dance photographer.
The critically acclaimed Kenneth Branagh series, a three-parter that began airing nationally -- and on 'HYY -- on Sept. 9, was interrupted, explained Christine Dempsey, the station's chief content officer, because of the need to "compromise" with the membership department, which apparently has an easier time soliciting money when it's not showing some of PBS' regularly scheduled programming, including the show that many consider one of the best drama outlets on television.
"The support is not there for it, which is unfortunate," Dempsey said.
What's also unfortunate is that "Wallander" is being pre-empted next Sunday as well, which means WHYY viewers will have to wait until 9 p.m. Sept. 30 -- following the premiere of PBS' "Call the Midwife" -- to watch the final two installments of the "Wallander III" series back-to-back.
Unless, of course, they have broadband Internet access, in which case they can cut out the middleman and watch them on PBS.org.
(An earlier version of this post incorrectly described "Call the Midwife" as a "Masterpiece" production. The six-part BBC miniseries, a fact-based drama about nurse-midwives in the East End of London during the 1950s, will premiere at 8 p.m. Sept. 30 on PBS stations, including WHYY, which plans to air it in full.)
I was wondering about that. Do they really get more donations by blocking the shows we want to see?— angietoon- I am DVRing it on NJN. They are showing it during the masterpiece time slot on Wednesdays. It'll be on the 19th and 26th at 9 p.m.— cmarone
- I guess I will have to think twice about renewing my membership the next time around. Masterpiece Mystery is one of my favorite series and I was looking forward to seeing Wallander. When I saw that it wasn't on, and that they were showing something dance-related instead, I immediately switched to something else.
Now they expect us to watch 3 hours until midnight. They say there is no support for it. Then I guess the people watching PBS have changed. Without shows like Masterpiece Mystery many people wouldn't watch PBS at all.— MikeChm
