'The Forsytes' Isn't a Direct Adaptation of 'The Forsyte Saga' — Here's How it Differs

Masterpiece PBS fans enjoyed another big-budget period piece drama with The Forsytes, which aired on Sundays at 9/8c between March 22 and April 26. Of course, in the age of streaming, if you missed any of the episodes, you can catch up on them courtesy of the PBS app or online.

But for longtime viewers gobbling up British dramas, the Forsyte name is a familiar moniker, thanks to the various iterations of The Forsyte Saga. But does The Forsytes tell the same story as the shows based on the classic work of English literature?

Despite deriving their inspiration from the same source material, The Forsytes and The Forsyte Saga are two entirely different shows.

TV Insider spoke with The Forsytes showrunner Debbie Horsfield, who discussed the difference between the 2025 Masterpiece series and the 2002 Damian Lewis show.

The first distinction between the two that cues viewers into their disparate artistic directions is the very titles of the shows themselves. The Forsyte Saga is regarded as a much more faithful adaptation of John Galsworthy's books.

Horsfield's re-imagining takes a bit of creative license to explore female characters that aren't as fleshed out in Galsworthy's works. "In the books, the male characters are drawn in quite a lot of detail. But the women are drawn with less detail," the showrunner explained.

She continued: "And one of the key things that attracted me was looking at some of the female characters in an area where, historically, women were beginning to see the possibility of having more agency over their lives."

Horsfield has previously worked on PBS' Poldark with Aidan Turner, which ran for five seasons, so she's no stranger to crafting new narratives on established works.

In The Forsytes, she's restructured some of the relationships from Galsworthy's novels. Horsfield has Jo leave his life as an artist in Italy to return back to London. Here, he marries a widow named Frances, who has a daughter, June, from a previous marriage.

The Forsytes series premiere begins on June's 18th birthday, which marks her entry into high society as an adult. In the books, June is actually Jo's biological daughter. This key difference, Horsfield states, is one that she believes makes Jo a more sympathetic character.

Alterations to the dynamics of Soames' and Irene's connection have been made as well. Horsfield had a difficult time understanding why in Galsworthy's books Irene agrees to marry Soames, as she is "repulsed" by him "in some ways," the series creator stated.

So she decided to create their connection around an emotional need that leaves an impression on Soames on a personal level. "There's something in her [Irene] — a spark, a sense of wildness — that he sees and doesn't have, but that speaks to a part of him that's probably very repressed."

Horsfield also added a new primary character to the series: stateswoman Lady Carteret, who is played by three-time Emmy Award winner Susan Hampshire. The actor first appeared in a 26-part TV adaptation of Galsworthy's works in 1967, so having her on the show is an homage to The Forsyte Saga's legacy.