Mr. Selfridge on Masterpiece on Fridays

At the unfashionable end of Oxford Street in 1909 London, an American retail tycoon arrives to jettison fusty British tradition and open the biggest and finest department store the world has ever seen: Selfridges. 

Three-time Emmy® winner Jeremy Piven (in his first television appearance since his iconic role as Hollywood agent Ari Gold in Entourage) stars as Harry Gordon Selfridge, the flamboyant entrepreneur and showman seeking to provide London's shoppers with the ultimate merchandise and the ultimate thrill.

Emmy® Award-winning writer Andrew Davies (Pride and Prejudice, Bleak House) conjures the opulence and excitement of Selfridges and the story of its founder, a man of exuberant, outsized, and potentially dangerous, appetite. Behind Selfridges' lavish shop windows, gleaming counters, and majestic doors, appetite intersects with ambition and desire not just for Harry, but for his staff, his family, and the various women drawn to the store and the man. Zoe Tapper (Stage Beauty) is showgirl and temptress Ellen Love; Frances O’Connor (Madame Bovary) as is Harry's loyal wife, Rose; Grégory Fitoussi (Spiral) is the mercurial window designer extraordinaire, Henri LeClair; and Aisling Loftus (Case Histories) is the spunky shop girl Agnes Towler.

Mr. Selfridge airs on Masterpiece Fridays, April 12 through May 31, 2013 at 9 p.m., with each episode repeated the following Monday at 1 p.m., on Rhode Island PBS.

Episode 1: Upstart American Harry Selfridge moves heaven and earth to build his visionary department store in London. But opening day is just the start of his retail revolution.

Episode 2: Selfridge skirts scandal by putting cosmetics at the front of the store. Meanwhile, his private life gets complicated as Ellen Love, Lady Mae, and his wife, Rose, make waves.

Episode 3: Ellen’s future as the Spirit of Selfridge's is on the line. Renowned ballerina Anna Pavlova causes a sensation at the store. And Rose makes a revelation to her doting portrait painter, Roddy.

Episode 4: Spunky shop girl Agnes Towler returns to work. But all is not well, as Harry and Rose face a moment of truth, Ellen confronts Harry, and alcohol, pills, and driving under the influence take their toll.

Episode 5:  Mr. Grove takes over in Harry’s absence, but faces irate temperance marchers and other challenges. How would Harry handle it? Agnes gets to know Henri, the window dresser.

Episode 6: Two dead relatives show up at a store séance prompted by Sherlock Holmes creator Arthur Conan Doyle. Agnes gets moved to fashion and develops a closer relationship to Henri.

Episode 7: F. W. Woolworth tries to undercut his old friend and competitor, Harry, who gives the discount king a run for his money. The temperature rises with Agnes and Henri.

Episode 8: Tragedy strikes on the day polar explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton comes to the store. An even greater celebrity plans a visit, and Harry and Rose attend a shocking play.