Following Christmas in 2017, people were glued to their television screens when the BBC broadcast its three-part adaptation of Little Women. The series, which was based on Louisa May Alcott’s iconic novel of the same name, aired on three consecutive nights between 26 and 28 December.

And just in time for a new Christmas season, ITV has added the drama, which at the time was hailed as “perfect” to its catalogue. The synopsis reads: “The March sisters and their mother Marmee face a Christmas without presents or their father. The girls must learn to live simply and humbly, but are faced with a series of testing events.”

When it first aired back in 2017, the series was well-received by critics. Writing in The Guardian, Lucy Mangan joked that Little Women was “perfect for the onset of Boxing Day choco-torpor”. She added: “Slight initial misgivings about the amount of head-tilted, winsome smiling going on in the opening minutes of Little Women vanished as a confident and charming production hit its stride.”

However, the praise wasn’t universal, as in The Hollywood Reporter, Daniel Feinberg wrote: “There’s some sense of missed opportunity in how rarely this Little Women finds a distinctive way to view and interpret the travails of the March family, especially during the second episode, which lands several required emotional punches, but mostly meanders.”

Fan response

One fan was incredibly excited to hear that the drama was coming back to streamers, as they enthused: “Little Women on ITVX! I don’t have to watch it in dog [Expletive] quality anymore!”

In a review, a second penned: “I was a bit dubious coming in, but I should have known with BBC and Heidi Thomas attached to it that it would be good,” while a third added: “The scenery and costumes are beautiful and evocative, and everything is elegantly shot. The script is cosy, thought-provoking, intelligent, has coherence and it flows well. The storytelling, despite its faults, avoids being mawkish, captures the feelings of sisterhood perfectly and the interaction is spot on.”

Characters in an adaptation of Little Women© BBC
Fans were delighted to have the opportunity to stream the series again

A fourth shared: “If you’re a fan of the book, you’ll enjoy this series. I’ve read the book several times, and was glad I chose this version of Little Women to watch over my holiday break,” and a fifth said: “I’ve enjoyed every adaptation of Little Women that I’ve seen, and this was no exception. As someone who enjoys comparing adaptations across time, I find the story told in this newer style of acting, directing, music etc. a valuable addition to the collection.”

Who stars in Little Women?

The BBC secured an A-list cast to star in their 2017 adaptation, including Chernobyl star Emily Watson. The actress played Marmee March, the matriarch of the March family. Playing her four daughters, Jo, Meg, Amy and Beth were Maya Hawke, Willa Fitzgerald, Kathryn Newton and Annes Elwy respectively. Little Women marked Maya’s acting debut, and nowadays fans will recognise her as Robin Buckley in Stranger Things.

Willa has appeared in the likes of The Fall of the House of Usher and Scream, while Kathryn is known for Marvel smash Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania and Annes starred in 2023 drama Wolf.

Emily Watson, Maya Hawke, Willa Fitzgerald, Kathryn Newton and Annes Elwy in a promotional photo for Little Women© BBC
The cast was led by Emily Watson

Also joining the cast were Harry Potter star Sir Michael Gambon, who played Mr Laurence, and Murder, She Wrote actress Angela Lansbury, who played the role of Aunt March.

The cast was rounded out by Jonah Hauer-King (World on Fire), Julian Morris (Pretty Little Liars), Dylan Baker (The Good Wife), Mark Stanley (Happy Valley) and Ann Skelly (Red Rock).

Other adaptations

Due to its popularity, Little Women has been adapted for stage and screen on numerous occasions. The book has been turned into a film on seven different occasions, with the first being released back in 1917, although it’s believed there are no copies of the film available.

Timothee Chalamet and Saoirse Ronan in a scene from Little Women© Alamy Stock Photo
The story has been adapted for screen on numerous occasions

The most recent film version was released in 2019 and starred the likes of Saoirse Ronan, Emma Watson, Timothee Chalamet and Meryl Streep. The film was released to critical acclaim, and it was nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards.

While the 2017 TV adaptation is the most recent to hit British screens, in 2018, an Indian web series, Haq Se, was released, while a 2022 adaptation of the novel was released in South Korea.