Mi madre has towed the Masterpiece Theater line for decades. True story: Sunday night ca. 1977-1990 was always a bit of a TV drag for my brother and I. When that classy brass music came on WNET to accompany the video camera panning over leather-bound volumes of books, and then Alistair Cooke showed up, we knew what followed would be pure, delirious boredom. Oh TV, we put our trust in you — why did you betray us!?!

The funny thing is I’m guessing that a lot of the old school Masterpiece Theater programming was probably quite good, and most likely far ahead of its time; perhaps something of a low-budget precursor to the sharply produced, serialized TV narratives we enjoy today.

So next year Masterpiece Theater is splitting its programming into three differently themed “seasons.” Masterpiece Classic (period dramas) will run in the winter and spring. Masterpiece Mystery! is scheduled for summer. Finally, Masterpiece Contemporary will air during the fall. Each different season will have its own host. The announced host for Masterpiece Classic is none other than Gillian Anderson, who at this point must be Nimoy-level irritated with her close ties to the eternally geekariffic X-Files.

I guess the question is whether the programming has changed since we were kids? Well, Masterpiece Classic’s first offering is — I’m not making this up — The Complete Jane Austen. Zzzzzz. This one’s still for the ladeez, folks.

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