I’ve been counting down BritBox’s launch of “The Other Bennet Sister” since March. 

Based on Janice Hadlow’s 2020 novel of the same name, the new drama follows Mary Bennet (Ella Bruccoleri)—the middle sister in Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice.” 

The series premiered on the BBC on March 15 and quickly became a phenomenon in the United Kingdom, earning the biggest launch for a new drama across all platforms and streamers since May 2025.

With 7.3 million viewers tuning in, it was nearly impossible to avoid mentions of “The Other Bennet Sister” on social media.

Although I should’ve read “The Other Bennet Sister,” it oddly didn’t occur to me. 

I was immediately smitten when I saw the first trailer for “The Other Bennet Sister.” The scene opens with Mary’s sisters in horror because she is “wearing spectacles.” 

Her mother, Mrs. Bennet (Ruth Jones), is scandalized by anything that would keep her child from being attractive to a man, but the friendly Mr. Bennet (Richard E. Grant), smirks and says, “Very good. I hope you find them most useful.”

This told me that there was something romantic and comedic about Lizzie Bennet’s awkward middle sister. I signed up for BritBox and have been waiting.  

The plot:

Mary’s sisters Jane, Elizabeth, Kitty and Lydia are all on their own paths to find love.

Mary is encouraged to leave her Longbourn home and see the world—her first step to individualism and a way to avoid comparisons to her sisters. She moves to London to stay with her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. Gardiner (Indira Varma and Richard Coyle), where she meets new friends—and a few possible love interests. 

Actress Bruccoleri said of her character, “Mary Bennet has been written off by many members of her family, and as a result she’s written herself off too. When we meet her at the beginning of the series, she’s living with her family in a small village and has never really left that world. 

“These are the only people she knows, and she understands herself through the values they impose on her. We know these characters from ‘Pride and Prejudice,’ but it’s fascinating to see the impact they have on someone like Mary.”

The awkward and often overlooked Mary begins a journey of self-discovery.

Author Hadlow says, “It’s very exciting to think that Mary Bennet will soon be coming to our screens, taking center stage at last in the story Jane Austen never gave her, played with such feeling by the wonderful Ella Bruccoleri, in the company of a brilliantly empathic cast who bring the whole drama gloriously and poignantly to life.”

My verdict: 

Come on. You know all about “Pride and Prejudice.” Let’s watch and discuss. 

The drama will premiere stateside Wednesday and I will be watching. 

I’m a self-described Austen-maniac, so I will watch every remake, read the classic plus modern-retellings, just to get some of that period piece romantic magic. 

Of course, if I want more details after, I can grab the book so I don’t miss even one of Mary’s inner thoughts—much like I did after watching “Normal People.”

After the series, check Booked & Screened for other Jane Austen adaptations to watch and read to fill the Pemberley-sized hole in your heart.

About the writer

It is a truth universally acknowledged that S. Lynn Bonanno’s religion is “Jane Austenism.” Her three favorite Austen projects are “Pride & Prejudice” (the Keira Knightley and Matthew Macfadyen version), “Lost in Austen” and “Sanditon” (Season 1 with Theo James).