X

Join or Sign In

Sign in to customize your TV listings

Continue with Facebook Continue with email

By joining TV Guide, you agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy.

Late Call

Angus Wilson (1913-1991) wrote his novel "Late Call" in 1964, and 20 years later, Anthony Burgess ranked it as one of the 99 best novels written since 1939. This led to its inclusion in the rec.arts.books compilation list of the 425 "Greatest Books of All Time." The central character is the elderly Sylvia Calvert, and Wilson wanted to "find a way of suggesting the absurd and the compassionate at the same time in Sylvia's story," and with her son, "the sudden, incidental and completely horrible in the deadly respectable world." Adapting Wilson's novel into four episodes (each approximately 50 minutes in length), Dennis Potter expanded Wilson's prologue ("The Hot Summer of 1911") into the drama's centerpiece, intercutting between past and present as he probed spiritual desolation in the English Midlands. Retiring from a lifetime of hotel domestic service, Sylvia Calvert arrives with her husband Arthur to live with their overly fastidious son in the New Town of Carshall, where they attempt to adjust to the lifestyle of his family. Amid the alienation and the passivity of the dull and deadening retirement, Sylvia escapes into her repressed memories, looking back at the year 1911 and reflecting on the psychological wound of a long-ago incident from her childhood.

Loading. Please wait...

Content not available in your region? ExpressVPN can help you stay connected wherever you are. Get 4 extra months FREE with TV Guide's exclusive offer.

Cast & Crew See All

Dandy Nichols
Sylvia Calvert
Michael Bryant
Howard Calvert
Leslie Dwyer
Arthur Calvert

Season 1 Episode Guide See All

Episode 1

Episode #1.1

Where to Watch

You May Also Like See All

The Office
Homicide: Life on the Street
The Staircase
The Sopranos

Popular Shows See all shows

Mayor of Kingstown

5 Seasons
From Academy Award nominee Taylor Sheridan, co-creator of Yellowstone, Mayor of Kingstown follows the McLusky family - power brokers in Kingstown, Michigan where the business of incarceration is the only thriving industry. Tackling themes of systemic racism, corruption and inequality, the series provides a stark look at their attempt to bring order and justice to a town that has neither.
55   Metascore
2021 Suspense, Drama

Best Medicine

2 Seasons
A brilliant surgeon leaves Boston to become a doctor in the small town where he spent childhood summers. Despite his medical skills, his rude manner alienates locals as he battles hidden phobias and struggles with personal connections.
60   Metascore
2026 Comedy, Drama

The Lincoln Lawyer

5 Seasons
An iconoclastic idealist runs his law practice out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car in this series based on Michael Connelly's bestselling novels.
64   Metascore
2022 Suspense, Drama

FBI

9 Seasons
From Emmy Award winner Dick Wolf and the team behind the Law and Order franchise, "FBI" is a fast-paced drama about the inner workings of the New York office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This elite unit brings to bear all their talents, intellect, and technical expertise on major cases in order to keep New York and the country safe. Born into a multigenerational law-enforcement family, Special Agent Maggie Bell commits deeply to the people she works with as well as those she protects. Her partner is Special Agent Omar Adom "OA" Zidan, a West Point graduate via Bushwick who spent two years undercover for the DEA before being cherry-picked by the FBI. Overseeing them is Special Agent in Charge Isobel Castille who operates under intense pressure and has undeniable command authority. The team also includes Assistant Special Agent in Charge Jubal Valentine, the nerve center of the office, whose ability to easily relate to and engage with both superiors and subordinates makes him a master motivator. Kristen Chazal is the team's most valued resource, a brilliant analyst recruited straight out of university who can piece together the big picture more quickly than anyone. These first-class agents tenaciously investigate cases of tremendous magnitude, including terrorism, organized crime, and counterintelligence.
57   Metascore
2018 Action & Adventure, Suspense, Drama

The Closer

7 Seasons
Deputy Police Chief Brenda Leigh Johnson, formerly Atlanta police officer and CIA-trained interrogator, is given the opportunity to run her own division of elite officers of the Los Angeles Police Department. Her unusual procedure for obtaining confessions, blatant disregard for politics, and southern accent make her a marked woman. However, with all the bluster and bravado, she still maintains her title, The Closer.
68   Metascore
2005 Suspense, Drama

The Rookie

8 Seasons
Six months into his career as a cop, John Nolan will be put to the test as he looks to figure out what kind of cop he ultimately wants to be.
64   Metascore
2018 Action & Adventure, Suspense, Drama