Season Two of the critically-acclaimed series premieres on January 9

The pastoral beauty of England's glorious Yorkshire Dales, a nostalgic look at British rural life in 1937, and an outstanding cast-of humans and animals-make All Creatures Great and Small a feast for the eyes and the soul.  When Season One of this new BBC series, based on James Herriot's beloved novels, premiered on PBS last January, it was an instant hit with critics and audiences alike. On Sunday evening, January 9, All Creatures Great and Small returns to PBS for an all-new season of heartfelt moments, friendship, mischief, and romance.

When young urbanite James Herriot, fresh out of Veterinary school, accepts a job with an established vet in a small rural village, he soon learns that treating sick animals is not nearly as challenging as dealing with their owners. Struggling farm families, wealthy owners of country estates, and the rough-and-tumble rowdies at the local pub all challenge James' assumptions about life and human nature. The result is a series that is genuinely funny, utterly down-to-earth, occasionally heartbreaking, and ultimately as comforting as one of the sweater vests worn by its characters.

In short, All Creatures Great and Small is the perfect antidote for the stress, divisiveness, anger, and fear seemingly running rampant in the world today. Actor Samuel West, who plays the village's sometimes cantankerous longtime vet, thinks this is why both critics and audiences have embraced the series so enthusiastically.

"I think this has been a very complicated year for a lot of people," he points out. "I hope that All Creatures Great and Small is a return to a simpler life-a simpler piece of storytelling about things that matter: community, being kind to each other, being kind to animals, being welcoming of strangers. I think these are lessons we can think about but also enjoy while sitting together on the sofa."

As the young veterinarian James Harriot, Nicholas Ralph leads an ensemble of acclaimed actors-including  Callum Woodhouse, Anna Madeley and Rachel Shenton, all returning for the second season. Matthew Lewis will also return as jilted aristocrat Hugh Hulton. Actress Patricia Hodge will step into the role of the eccentric, larger-than-life Mrs. Pumphrey, with the lovably spoiled Pekingese, Tricki Woo, right by her side.

With this stellar cast, gorgeous scenery, and plenty of nostalgia and heart, All Creatures Great and Small is a welcome reminder that good drama can be as soothing as it is entertaining.