Masterpiece, Mr Bates vs The Post Office

PBS Western Reserve (WNEO 45.1 / WEAO 49.1):

Sundays, Aug. 23 & 30, from 8 PM-10 PM
Mondays, Aug. 24 & 31, from midnight-2 AM

Fusion (WNEO 45.2 / WEAO 49.2):

Sundays, Aug. 30 & Sept. 6, from noon-2 PM

This four-part series, starring a stellar ensemble cast led by Toby Jones, is a dramatization of the real-life British Post Office scandal.

In the early 2000s, when money started to seemingly disappear from its local branches, the government-owned Post Office wrongly blamed its managers for the apparent loss. For more than a decade, hundreds were accused of theft and fraud, and many were even sent to prison — leaving lives, marriages and reputations in ruins. But the issue was actually caused by errors in the Post Office’s own computer system — something it denied for years. 

“Mr Bates vs The Post Office” was created with direct input from the innocent — and indomitable — people caught up in the fiasco. Following its broadcast in the United Kingdom, the series set off a firestorm of public interest and, within eight days of premiering, the British prime minister announced a new law to pardon the victims.