‘Bergerac’ Season 1 Lands Early Release on PBS Passport
'Bergerac' Season 1 lands a PBS Passport release for August 2026.
In the summer of 2025, Masterpiece was blessed with so many series that the PBS Sunday night fall premiere block started in mid-August. For the 2026-2027 TV season, there are still quite a few British debuts heading to Sunday nights, but not so many that it requires an early start. Instead, Masterpiece will kick off the first weekend of the regular fall debut season, with both Marlow Murder Club and Marble Hall Murders debuting on Sunday, September 6, 2026.
Most years, that would leave August reliant on the whims of Walter Presents, much as the PBS Passport schedule was for July 2026. However, just in the nick of time, PBS Distribution remembered it had an extra series in its back pocket, with the hit UKTV reboot of Bergerac on deck. The original series, which made John Nettles a household name, was popular when it ran on local PBS stations in the 1980s, and the new one seems a likely hit as well. Season 2 already aired on the far side of the pond in April 2026, and the ratings were such that a Season 3 commission seems likely.
So rather than stand on ceremony or wait for a Sunday night berth to open up in 2027, PBS has gone ahead and scheduled the inaugural season of Bergerac for August. Season 1 will arrive as an early release on PBS Passport to help us get through the hottest, most miserable month of the year.
Here’s the official synopsis for Season 1:
Jim Bergerac is a broken man, grappling with grief and alcoholism following his wife’s recent death. But when a member of one of Jersey’s wealthiest families is murdered, Chief of Police Uma Dalal wants their best detective on the case. Bergerac returns to work to help him become the formidable detective he once was, whilst also trying to prove to his daughter Kim and mother-in-law Charlie Hungerford that his life is back on track. The Wakefields, led by patriarch and businessman Arthur, are keeping their cards close to their chests, whilst a man from Bergerac’s past resurfaces to make a shocking accusation. Is Bergerac up to the job?
Damien Molony (Being Human) leads the series as the titular detective, with Zoë Wanamaker (Black Ops) as his mother-in-law, Charlie Hungerford; Chloé Sweetlove (The Crow Girl) as his daughter, Kim; Robert Gilbert (Big Boys) as his partner-in-crime-solving, Barney Crozier; and Sasha Behar (Foundation) as his boss, Uma Dalal.
The supporting cast includes Philip Glenister (Steeltown Murders) as Arthur Wakefield, Pippa Haywood (Bodyguard) as Margaret Heaton, Timothy Renouf (A Very British Scandal) as Julien Wakefield, and Celine Arden (Bridgerton) as Kara.
Zoë Wanamaker, Damien Molony, Chloé Sweetlove, Sasha Behar, and Robert Gilbert in 'Bergerac' Season 1 (UKTV)
Being Human’s Toby Whithouse is the series creator and lead writer, along with Brian Fillis, Catherine Tregenna, and Polly Buckle. Directors Colm McCarthy and Sean Spencer split helming duties across the show’s six episodes, with Clare Alan producing. Whithouse executive produces with Ben Bickerton & Philip Trethowan for BlackLight TV, Brian Constantine for Westward Studios, and Helen Perry for UKTV.
Bergerac Season 1 will premiere as a binge on PBS Passport and the PBS Masterpiece Prime Video Channel to stream beginning Sunday, August 16, 2026, and will air on local stations as they see fit. Check your local listings.
Season 2 has already aired in the U.K.; Season 3 has not yet been greenlit.
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