"This is not a period piece": showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett charts new territory in Anne

CBC's latest show, Anne, is a more grounded update of Lucy Maud Montgomery's Anne of Green Gables, one that doesn't gloss over Anne's gritty, hard life as an orphan. One that, perhaps, is true to the spirit of the original books while adding showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett's own voice to the classic story. 

"I wanted to chart some new territory," Walley-Beckett says. She notes that it was especially important that the first episode "be a seamless interaction between Lucy Montgomery's words and mine." 

Walley-Beckett explains that there were some things in the book that were "never fully delved into," thus inspiring her to expand on the well-known Anne of Green Gables universe. One difference she was adamant on making, between her show and other variations, is its realness. She adds: "This is not a period piece with a glossy veneer." 

Anne premieres on Sunday, March 19 at 8 p.m. ET and will stream on Netflix in May.

— Produced by Vanessa Nigro