Lord of the Manor

PBS is currently rerunning the reality series Manor House (prompting me to think about how funny it would be if Hugh Laurie filmed an episode of Manor House, MD) on Sunday nights. The show is painstakingly well produced, and yet the Brits seem to have an impossible time emulating their gafffers and gemmas. The inauthenticity of the cast notwithstanding, the show remains terribly fascinating. When not indulging in anachronistic tantrums, the cast live in the exact same manner as their ancestors. Obviously this kind of idea has a bit more traction in a society where class distinctions still run riot, but it is rather amazing to see how quickly a modern Brit can fall for a hierarchy. The show contains not one likable character, but I couldn't help becoming very interested in the manor as a system. It doesn't disappoint.