Critic Rating
(read reviews)User Rating
Creator
Julian Fellowes
Cast
Maggie Smith,
Michelle Dockery,
Laura Carmichael,
Joanne Froggatt,
Hugh Bonneville,
Phyllis Logan
Genre
Drama
A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era. With new technological developments and major historical events happening throughout the 20th century, the family must learn to adapt as the strict British social hierarchy declines.
This show is a fascinating look at this historical turning point that remains grounded in the characters the audience comes to love. Its fun to get to see the characters engage with the lifestyle of the aristocracy, but it doesn't avoid all the issues of the time and the systems in place.
Los Angeles Times by Mary McNamara
Downton Abbey, which premieres Sunday, is this generation's "Upstairs, Downstairs," both in theme--the daily dramas of a titled British family and their many servants--and in stature.
Wall Street Journal by Dorothy Rabinowitz
There is no mystery about the potency of this series, slathered in wit, powered by storytelling of a high order.
USA Today by Robert Bianco
There are worse sins than looking like a Jane Austen movie. In fact, with PBS' latest British hit import, the unfailingly entertaining Downton Abbey, it might even be a blessing.
TV Guide Magazine by Matt Roush
Watching Downton Abbey is like curling up with a really satisfying book, and I can't think of a better way to get through one of the crueler months of winter. This is one of those shows that after finishing it, I immediately began to envy those who had yet to experience the pleasure.
San Francisco Chronicle by David Wiegand
Fellowes does know how to write some tasty dialogue, especially for Maggie Smith....The other performances are equally winning, but beyond that, you can't help feeling these actors are having a jolly good time with all this overblown fluff. And so will you.
New York Daily News by David Hinckley
The next great "Masterpiece Theater" series has arrived.
Variety by Brian Lowry
From virtually any angle, though, Downton Abbey is an almost peerless piece of real estate.
Boston Globe by Matthew Gilbert
This extraordinary upstairs-downstairs drama, written by Oscar-winning "Gosford Park" screenwriter Julian Fellowes, is a dramatic, intelligent, soapy, comic, and wise piece of work, one that explores social shifts on the eve of World War I while delivering a remarkably engaging cast of characters.
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