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The Daily Star, Oneonta, N.Y., Friday, March 27, 2020 4 By Rachel Jones TV Media P BS's hit series "Call the Midwife" reminds us that there is a time to be born, a time to die and a time for ev- erything in between when Sea- son 9 premieres Sunday, March 29, on PBS. The show follows a group of midwives who work at the Nonnatus House and the nuns of the Order of St. Raymund Nonnatus, who live there. The first season was set in 1957, but this ninth installment brings us up to the mid-1960s, a time of social change and up- heaval. As the world changes around them, the nurses and nuns of Nonnatus house team up to serve local families in the fictional area of Poplar, Lon- don. Among the team of mid- wives is the newly sober Trixie Franklin (Helen George, "The Three Musketeers," 2011), the prickly Phyllis Crane (Linda Bassett, "Calendar Girls," 2005), the industrious Valerie Dyer (Jennifer Kirby, "RSC Live: Henry V," 2015) and, one of the newest nurses at Nonnatus house, the resolute Lucille An- derson (Leonie Elliott, "Black Mirror"), the convent's first black nurse. The nuns and nurs- es of Nonnatus house are led by Sister-in-Charge Julienne (Jenny Agutter, "Logan's Run," 1976), whose wisdom, kind- ness and steady hand have helped many of the sisters, midwives and townspeople through difficult times. The show is based on the Midwife Trilogy, a memoir col- lection by real-life British nurse Jennifer Worth. The book series consists of "Call the Midwife," "Shadows of the Workhouse" and "Farewell to the East End." Much like the show, the books follow Worth as she worked as a nurse for a Whitechapel hos- pital alongside a group of An- glican nuns from the Sisters of St. John the Divine. Worth fo- cused her work on low-income women and families in the area. It's no secret that the "Call the Midwife" series has effects that reach far beyond enter- tainment. The characters' posi- tive perspectives and empa- thetic attitudes have shined a light on female struggles and brought the stories of many forgotten women back into the public consciousness. The show has informed viewers about major health issues and good birthing practices, and it has been used to showcase mid- wifery, which is often misun- derstood, as a credible and im- portant career. Most notably, the drama has educated viewers by featuring diseases and encouraging vac- cination, and some experts at- tribute a rise in vaccination rates to the effect of the show. Due to its overwhelming popu- larity and critical acclaim, the series has been renewed for at least two more seasons, through 2022. Following the lead of other British shows on PBS, Season 9 has already aired in the U.K. earlier this year. Because of this, it's easy to find out what to expect from the next eight episodes (no spoilers here, though). The new season be- gins in January 1965 and fea- tures the characters receiving news of the death of Winston Churchill. With the '60s in full swing, your favorite midwives put their best foot forward when it comes to fashion this season, sporting time-trendy hair and colorful outfits. The nurses also deal with some new equipment and changes to medical proce- dures, as well as an evolving landscape as the East End is re- built around them. But there's a lot more than clothes and equipment on the horizon for these women — for all wom- en, in fact. The show's timeline is getting ever closer to the 1967 Abortion Act, which le- galized abortion by licensed practitioners in certain areas of the U.K. in the hopes of ending the dangerous, and often fatal, back-alley procedures that were common before that time. We certainly saw the set- up for these changes towards the end of Season 8, when Nurse Valerie (Val) found out that her grandmother had been performing unhygienic, il- legal abortions for money. It was a storyline that divided viewers and critics. This fascinating time period is also when the revolutionary idea of contraception for all be- gan to gain serious traction. Plus, last season we saw Nurse Trixie step up as an advocate for the Brook Advisory Centre, which is a fictional version of an actual center started in 1964 to help promote sexual health and safe-sex practices for unmarried youth. coverstory Jenny Agutter in "Call the Midwife" Special delivery: PBS presents the ninth season of 'Call the Midwife' By Adam Thomlison TV Media Q: Can you tell me why they took "Magnum P.I." off the air and replaced it with "MacGyver?" A: I panicked for a moment, not because I worried about the fate of "Magnum P.I.," but because I thought maybe we'd traveled back in time to 1987 (and I don't have any pastel-col- ored clothes). But it turns out there's no reason to worry about either. The hit remake of '80s action series "Magnum P.I," which stars Jay Hernandez ("The Expanse") as the titular detective, is just go- ing into a mid-season hiatus, being replaced temporarily by the hit remake of '80s action series "MacGyver." In other good news, the wait is already almost over. The hia- tus ends on April 10, when "Magnum P.I." returns to air the re- mainder of its Season 2 episodes. There's been no word on a Season 3 renewal yet, and there likely won't be until May when CBS announces its fall sched- ule. However, at this point it seems pretty likely. The ratings have been strong and total viewership has actually increased over Season 1 — CBS will likely want to see if that continues. Q: Is "Star Trek: Discovery" coming back? A: Yes, and it's going to keep coming for quite a while. For those who don't know (or don't subscribe), "Star Trek: Discovery" has aired two seasons so far on CBS's online streaming service, CBS All Access (after an unorthodox launch that saw its premiere episode air on the CBS television net- work). We know it's been a hit for All Access, not because of ratings — streaming networks don't have to release ratings — but because it's already been renewed through to Season 5. That's right, Season 3 hasn't even aired yet and they've already bought two more. So we know it's coming back, but unfortunately we don't know when. So far the only official word is "2020," but that's a big year (one day longer than most!). The first season launched in September 2017, the second in January 2019, so we can't even find a pattern to base a guess on. Now that All Access's other "Star Trek" series, "Picard," has finished its first season, fans don't even have that to tide them over, so they'll just have to be patient. Given that they waited more than a decade for a new series after "Star Trek: Enter- prise" ended in 2005, we know they're up to the challenge. Have a question? Email us at questions@tvtabloid.com. Please include your name and town. Personal replies will not be provided. hollywoodQ&A Towne Floring 3 x 2 The Powell Company 2 x 2

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