Is "All Creatures Great and Small" Healing Television?

Last weekend, I flipped through Netflix looking for my next watch. These days, the options are endless, but even with countless shows to choose from, few actually embody a storyline and theme beyond predictable emotional entanglements or catastrophic wars. Not to mention the politically bent shows with emphases or trivializations of cultures' most polarizing topics. 

Insiders confirm the entire framework of television scripting is changing as Netflix is reworking its ‘second-screen’ scripts yet again, arguing that stories written for phone-scrolling viewers still aren't casual enough. Not to mention the debate around AI scripts.

What happened to cinematic artistry that deserves at the very least our full attention?

On air since 1971, BBC Masterpiece may be one of the last remaining mainstream streamers that is dedicated to preserving this artistry of story on screen with its acclaimed British period dramas, mysteries and contemporary series that have received Emmy awards, Golden-globes and more. And their recent season of All Creatures Great and Small on Channel 5, starring Nicholas Ralph, may just be one of the best shows airing in 2026. 

All Creatures Great and Small is not a new story. The series is a reimagining of the original 1978–1990 adaptation and traces the life of a rural veterinarian working in the Yorkshire Dales during the 1930s and 1940s. The story is drawn from the memoirs of real-life veterinarian James Alfred Wight, who wrote under the pen name James Herriot. Each episode follows James’s professional and personal journey, blending humor and warmth as he navigates love, work, and the everyday challenges of caring for animals in a close-knit community. Now in its sixth season in the United States, the series remains a rare kind of television: genuinely family-friendly, quietly instructive, and rich in enduring life lessons.

Why is this show so different and endearing than much else airing today? Showrunner and lead writer Ben Vanstone has been quietly weaving an important message in each story that much of the world has forgotten: the importance of stewardship. 

Every episode is distinctly flavored with a love of home and never a grumble or disparagement from the characters about the place God has put them. Without leaning into strictly nostalgia, the characters take care of their home, their heritage, and when it comes to it during the arc of WW2: their homeland. The characters care about preserving their traditions. The idea of hard-working men and respectful, dutiful women is the standard, and not something scoffed at or undermined. 

This extends beyond the walls of Skeldale House, the main character’s veterinary office and home at the heart of the series, and into the broader community. Each storyline is focused on serving the broader community, stepping in for a neighbor in need, and, of course the joy of all animals, big and small. Through each episode, we see that caring for something outside of yourself is not burdensome but ennobling, a worldview largely absent from modern television.

Over the course of the seasons, protagonist James, brought to life by actor Nicholas Ralph (who also recently stared as C.S. Lewis in The Most Reluctant Convert) relocates to the fictional Yorkshire village of Darrowby, establishes his vet practice, falls in love and marries Helen, becomes a father, goes to war, and learns to carry the weight of real responsibility. Marriage and family are not portrayed as power struggles or emotional rollercoasters, but rather as a partnership rooted in shared labor, mutual respect, and sacrifice.

Helen doesn’t fall into the typical “Tradwife” caricature, or is just a pretty woman in a nostalgic stereotype on James’ arm. She is competent, discerning, emotionally intelligent, and grounded. She lives a life of purpose– whether it’s preserving her mother's legacy on the family farm or stepping in at the clinic when needed. Womanhood here is not a performance, but a responsibility exercised with grace.

Beyond its storytelling, the series is visually anchored in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales, primarily in the market town of Grassington. The backdrop is idyllic without overly romantic sentiments, and Alexandra Harwood’s musical scores provide the perfect emotional depth for a historical piece such as this. 

So, can All Creatures Great and Small heal television? Not by grand statements or cultural posturing, but by quietly restoring what television was once trusted to do: tell stories that assume attention, reward responsibility, and honor the ordinary duties that make a good life possible. By supporting shows like this instead of trashy reality TV, we can curb the market's ability to produce good content again.

In a media landscape addicted to provocation and spectacle, this series treats stewardship, patriotism, family, and community as virtues worth defending. It reminds us that engaging media does not always arrive through reinvention, but often through a careful return to what works, what endures, and what is worth giving our full attention to.

If you’re looking for something to watch as a family this season that celebrates timeless wisdom and truth, All Creatures Great and Small remains a rare and worthwhile choice. Season six is available now in the UK, with new episodes releasing weekly in the United States over the coming month.