‘Masterpiece Theatre’ will be revamped

A reinvented “Masterpiece Theatre” will unveil major changes in January when actress Gillian Anderson begins as host of “The Complete Jane Austen” on “Masterpiece Classic.”

The 37-year-old PBS series will also introduce an “elegant on-air look, a redesigned, feature-rich website and a schedule that will help make our content easier to find,” executive producer Rebecca Eaton said. That schedule will break the year into three “seasons,” each with its own host, graphics and new take on the series’ familiar theme music.

In winter and spring, “Masterpiece Classic” will feature signature period dramas. In summer, “Masterpiece Mystery!” will present British mysteries, and in fall, “Masterpiece Contemporary” will showcase dramas set in modern times.

Anderson, the former “X-Files” star who is known to “Masterpiece Theatre” fans for her performance as Lady Dedlock in “Bleak House,” will be the first host, beginning Jan. 13, with the others to be named later.

-- Lynn Smith