Well, 2022 is finally here. Texas was unseasonably warm for a while, but now the temperature has dropped into the 30s. Chilly! I'm glad I keep coats and extra shoes in my car for unexpected emergencies.
Meanwhile, there is a new adaptation of Around the World in 80 days on PBS. Huzzah! It's apparently going to be a miniseries on Masterpiece, starting tomorrow night. It stars David Tennant as Fogg, and it looks fun.
I have read Verne's book as well as enjoyed the previous TV shows and film versions. Looks like Passepartout is Black this time, and they have changed Inspector Fix into a woman reporter like Nellie Bly (who did a real globetrotting tour). That seems like a good idea to make the love interest different; as I said in my previous post, adapting Princess Aouda brings up uncomfortable things like the Indian "suttee" ritual, which would be better left behind. Plus, I always found Inspector Fix following Fogg to be contrived, so hopefully this Abigail Fix will be an improvement.
I wonder what name-dropping and guest cameos we'll get on the world tour. By making Passepartout Black, the writers seem to be acknowledging that history is more diverse than Hollywood's whitewashed period dramas traditionally depict. I hope so.
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