PBS (check local listings)
Show of the week
The 90-minute Cora, based on a 1934 Langston Hughes story, launches—with considerable promise—an American-lit counterpart to PBS's long-running British import Masterpiece Theatre.
Cora (Regina Taylor) stoically passes her days as housekeeper to an upstanding, uptight middle-class family presided over by Mrs. Studevant (Cherry Jones). These women are the two chambers of the household's heart. When they ultimately clash over a domestic crisis, the actresses achieve a rare, perfect balance: Taylor erupts with tragic force, while the heartbroken Jones subsides into a pool of useless tears.
Bottom Line: Performances to be proud of
Your Reaction
