Death Comes to Pemberley—an adaptation of P.D. James' murder-mystery novel that takes place six years after the events of Pride and Prejudice (a.k.a. the marriage of Mr. Darcy and Elizabeth Bennet)—airs on PBS this weekend. The drama stars Matthew Rhys as Mr. Darcy, Anna Maxwell Martin as Elizabeth Bennet, and Matthew Goode as Wickham. As Glamour.com's resident Jane Austen expert/enthusiast, I could NOT be more excited. But for me, the real mystery is how Rhys will fare as the beloved Darcy, a character who's been portrayed many times with various results. So let's take a look at the previous pop-culture Darcys—after Sunday, we'll know where Rhys fits in. From least favorite to (spoiler!) Colin Firth, here are the Darcys, ranked:
Orlando Seale (Will Darcy in Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy)
Sorry, Seale. You're cute, have a nice English accent, and possess the right amount of charming curls, but even those can't save you from this disaster of a movie.
Wishbone (Mr. Darcy in Wishbone "Furst Impressions")
Yes, Pride and Prejudice: A Latter-Day Comedy is so bad that I'm ranking a dog in a children's show higher on the list. Also, I just really loved Wishbone growing up.
Martin Henderson (William "Will" Darcy in Bride and Prejudice)
Call me superficial, but I find it hard to believe that Mr. Darcy—even one in a Bollywood remake—would have that awful, swoopy, stylized hair. No, no, no.
Laurence Olivier (Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice)
The 1940 film costarring Greer Garson is considered a classic, even though the movie differs in many ways from the novel. The biggest offense is the totally incorrect costumes, which are from a way later time period than Jane Austen's. It makes the movie unwatchable for me. (I studied historical dress in college, so it's possible I'm more sensitive than most...)
Eliot Cowan (Mr. Darcy in Lost in Austen)
Surprisingly, I don't have much to say about Cowan's performance in the modern-meets-past Lost in Austen. He was fine but not overly memorable, so right into the middle of the list he goes.
JJ Feild (Mr. Henry Nobley in Austenland)
Technically, Feild does not portray Mr. Darcy himself in this cute rom-com about a woman who's obsessed with all things Austen. But he does act as a stand-in Mr. Darcy-like character, and he nails the charming-yet-kind-of-awkward vibe we all recognize in any classic Darcy.
Colin Firth (Mark Darcy in Bridget Jones's Diary)
Who else could play Mark Darcy—a modern take on the classic character—than Colin Firth, the undisputed best Darcy of all time? (But more on that later.)
Matthew Macfadyen (Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice)
I love this 2005 adaptation with Keira Knightley, and Macfadyen did a helluva job. Unfortunately for him, there's just no competing with Firth.
Colin Firth (Fitzwilliam Darcy in Pride and Prejudice)
Winner, winner, winner! I'd go on and on about why he's the best Darcy, but I know you really just want to watch that iconic scene of him jumping into the pond again:
The two-part Death Comes to Pemberley airs on Sunday, October 26, and Sunday, November 2, on PBS.
