'Bergerac' Reboot Finally Heads to PBS

Not every UK TV series goes to PBS, but it sure feels like it. From the network's earliest originals, Miss Scarlet (now sans Duke) and Annika, to more recent shows like Bookish and The Marlow Murder Club, the network owned by BBC Studios) has exported most of its titles to American public broadcasting. When it was announced that UK TV would next remake Bergerac, the 1980s-era series that made John Nettles' career for its U&Drama network, it seemed likely it would be only a matter of time before PBS scooped it up.

The original Bergerac, like Van Der Valk before it, never actually aired nationally on PBS in the States during its original run from 1981 to 1991. However, much like All Creatures Great & Small, most people who saw the series did so on their local channels, as it was picked up by individual stations as supplemental programming and aired for a short time on A&E in the early 1990s when it was still trying to be "PBS for Cable."

But details like that never bothered anyone; if it's British from the 1980s, it's going to be associated with PBS, whether it aired on it or not. With the current budget crisis created by the dissolution of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, picking up a reboot title that sounds like it belongs on PBS is a bit of a no-brainer, as title recognition will almost certainly attract viewers. It helps that the show has been a decent-sized hit on U&Drama, with Season 2 already completed, assuring Americans who check it out won't be left high and dry by cancellations.

Here's the series synopsis:

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 Wakefield’s, 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.

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 is expected to debut on PBS as part of the 2026-2027 television season. Season 2 is currently slated to arrive in the U.K. in the spring of 2026, and will most likely follow on PBS in late 2027 or early 2028.