Plot Synopsis

Fresh from success at Marshall Field in Chicago, Harry Gordon Selfridge arrives in London in 1909 to open a store bearing his name, where he introduces a never-before-seen shopping experience that is as sensational as his personal life. Marshall Field pioneered the slogan, "The customer is always right," but Harry finds that a demanding customer in England is likely to get thrown out of the store. Customers are expected to know what they want and, when presented with it, to make their purchase and leave. Harry changes all of that by inventing a shopping experience that is a cross between theater and fantasy fulfillment. When the intrepid Frenchman Louis Bleriot makes the first flight across the English Channel, Harry grandly displays the plane and pilot at Selfridges. When the Russian ballerina Anna Pavlova becomes the talk of the town, Harry invites the public to meet her at his store. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of this series on Sunday, March 31, 2013 at 9pm ET/PT. MR. SELFRIDGE returned for its second season on PBS on Sunday, March 30, 2014 at 9pm ET/PT (check local listings). Season 2 picks up the story in 1914, as the store celebrates its fifth anniversary in business. Many employees have moved up the promotion ladder, some have moved on, and Rose has moved out -- back to America from pique with Harry over his blatant infidelities. She unexpectedly returns to London, but as a changed woman. Meanwhile the loose ends of love affairs from last season get tied up, as men are called to serve in World War I, a war that will change their lives forever. On Sunday, March 29, 2015 at 9pm (check local listings), PBS aired the U.S. premiere of the third season of MR. SELFRIDGE. Season 3 opens with a funeral and a wedding. World War I has recently ended, and soldiers are returning home to reclaim their jobs -- at least any job not already taken by women and others on the home front. Adding to the tension, many of the veterans are haunted by their war experiences. For the store, pent-up consumer demand offers both opportunities and financial perils. Harry, of course, only considers the former, and in short order he is courting disaster -- at an auction, at home, and in the bedroom. Guest stars this season include Zoe Wanamaker as Princess Marie De Bolotoff, the conniving mother of Harry's new son-in-law; and Kelly Adams as Nancy Webb, an attractive social reformer who entices Harry deeper into philanthropy and other intrigues than he ever intended. PBS aired the U.S. premiere of the fourth and final season of MR. SELFRIDGE on Sunday, March 27, 2016 at 10pm (check local listings). The final season follows the unpredictable arc of Harry's career to its thrilling climax, charting the fate of the showman with the big heart, shaky morals, and dogged belief that the dice roll will save him -- and the store -- every time. Making new trouble for Harry this season are Jimmy Dillon, an Anglo-Indian entrepreneur specializing in too-good-to-pass-up business deals; press magnate Lord Wynnstay, who exploits Harry's shocking private life to sell newspapers; and the blonde bombshells of their era, Dolly sisters Rosie and Jennie, American twin dancers who appeal to Harry's wicked streak. This season's exploits find Selfridge & Co. on the brink of its twentieth anniversary. The nonstop sales blitz since the store's founding gives no sign of letting up and is beginning to take its toll on the staff, Harry's family, and his friends. But not on Harry. Or is it?
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On Sunday, May 22, 2016 at 10:30pm (check local listings), PBS premiered the series finale of MR. SELFRIDGE. In the series ender, the press links Harry with Jimmy's demise. Suppliers refuse to sell, and stockholders are up in arms. Meanwhile, the store's 20th anniversary sale approaches. What's Harry to do?