“Last Tango in Halifax”

(A promotional photo for “Last Tango in Halifax.”)

Ryan and I finished the second season of “Orphan Black” recently, so we’re currently waiting for the next season to air.  In the meantime, I’ve fallen in love with a PBS series, “Last Tango in Halifax.”  The second season is currently airing on PBS, but I first read about the show last year and told my mom, thinking she might enjoy it.  She didn’t watch it then, but discovered it recently on Netflix and recommended it to me, so I gave it a try and was instantly hooked.

Without giving too much away, the show’s basic premise follows the story of Celia and Alan, a widow and widower in their 70s, who were childhood sweethearts but lost touch through a small miscommunication sixty years ago.  When their grandsons help them join Facebook, they find each other again and fall in love, realizing that they were really meant to be together all along.  Celia and Alan’s love is palpable, and their newfound joy infects everyone around them as their children and grandchildren struggle to find the same meaning in their own lives.

And while the romantic aspect is sweet and even tear-inducing, there’s a darker side to the series, too.  It’s extremely modern and uses Celia and Alan’s relationship as a means to explore current social issues in provocative ways.  “Last Tango in Halifax” has earned critics’ attention for its accurate portrayal of today’s older adults, and I really like the focus on small details like smart phones and different cars.

I’m also smitten with the gorgeous family home of Caroline, Celia’s daughter, and I discovered a listing for it online!  The house has since sold, but there are quite a few pictures of it here, though the furnishings are not those used for the series.  The house features heavily in the show and is, in some ways, another character that causes its own conflict.

If you’re looking for a fun show to watch this summer, I can definitely recommend “Last Tango in Halifax.” It’s incredibly well-written and entertaining.