Series “The Other Sister Bennett” Gives a New Perspective on Jane Austen’s Overlooked Character
The ten-episode series “The Other Sister Bennett,” based on Janice Hedlova’s novel, focuses on Mary Bennet, the middle sister from “Pride and Prejudice” who remains in the background. The show has achieved ratings success, though critical opinions are divided.
The new series “The Other Sister Bennett,” available on the streaming platform Tet+, premiered in March this year. In ten episodes, it tells the story of Mary Bennet, whom Jane Austen portrayed in her 1813 novel “Pride and Prejudice” as the less attractive, bookish sister often used for comic relief.
Author Janice Vivienne Hedlova, a former BBC executive, wrote a novel that expands Mary’s life from her perspective after her sisters are married. The novel and series show how Mary, invited to London by her relatives the Gardiners, gains confidence and tries to find her place in a world where women are judged by appearance and marriage prospects.
Critical reception of the novel is mixed. Some call it a “love letter to outsiders” and praise its depth for an underestimated character, while others point to a too-rapid transformation and excessive reliance on Austen’s original text in the first third. Some readers dismiss it as a clichéd story of an awkward girl who suddenly becomes popular after putting on a pretty dress.
In the series, Mary is played by actress Ella May Brukoleri, who turned 30 on May 11. She studied at the Oxford School of Drama and the Jacques Lecoq International Theatre School in Paris, and has appeared in series such as “The Last Kingdom,” “All Creatures Great and Small,” and “Chelsea Detective.” Brukoleri is also the lead vocalist of the band “Marry Me Emelie!” Critics praise her ability to accurately portray Mary’s awkwardness and inner world without contradicting Austen’s original.
The series quickly became a ratings hit—the first episode attracted 7.3 million viewers in the 28-day consolidated rating. While some critics call it a heartfelt, thoughtful costume drama, others—especially Austen purists—criticize the overly modern dialogue and the inclusion of actors of various ethnicities, which they say does not fit the early 19th-century setting. It is noted that the first two episodes are heavy, but from the third episode, when Mary moves to London, the series finds its rhythm.
