The Road to Avonlea, or Avonlea as it is commonly known, aired from 1990 to 1996. It was adapted from the Anne of Green Gables books by L. M.  Montgomery, which were written in the early 1990s. Set in Nova Scotia on Prince Edward Island in Canada, the series was a Canadian import that aired on the Disney channel. At its helm was Sarah Polley who went on to receive an Oscar nomination in 2008’s Away From Her for Best Adapted Screenplay. She has become an award-winning writer/director and successfully transitioned from child actor to adult industry heavy-weight.

Like Downton Abbey, Avonlea became the coveted show to get a guest spot on. Industry names like Dianne Wiest, Stockard Channing, Christopher Reeve, Christopher Llyod, and Eugene Levy all did guest spots. Oh, yeah, a young Ryan Gosling appeared in an episode in 1996. Personally, I would have loved to work on that show. Also, it made me want to move to Canada. I am currently reading Anne of Green Gables (the first book in the series) because I never read it as a kid. The 1985  Anne of Green Gables was a popular movie adaptation that lead to making Avonlea a series. They also had great resources with Montgomery’s books which made for a long-running, popular series. I love Downton Abbey, but I think I’ll always love Avonlea just a bit more. I’ve always wanted to go back in time and with Avonlea I was able to. It’s available on Netflix, but I think you can watch it for free on YouTube. So get watching!