Downton Abbey

I'll agree that the British know how to do period drama better than anyone (certainly better than us Americans) and this is no exception. You'll be captivated immediately and hours will go by before you realize you've spent an entire afternoon in front of your television set. The relationships built between all characters of this show are what tie it up in a nice, fluffy (although not always pretty) bow. Brilliantly written and set in lush, vibrant surroundings with detailed costuming, this drama series should set the bar for others. No busy dialog or wasted scenes, just good, solid craftsmanship in every episode of this poignant family story. You'll do well to invest in seasons 1 and 2. Looking forward to the arrival of season 3!

What can i say? Since I saw the first season I've been an unconditional fan of Downton Abbey. I think it's one of the most historically accurate and refined series of recent years.

Over the course of six seasons, we have been following the life and adventures of the Crawley family, which has lived in Downton Abbey for generations. We also follow the lives of house servants, with all their quarrels, ambitions to rise in life, and leave behind service in the big house. And it is rare to find a series with as much respect and appreciation for historical rigor as it has shown over the six seasons. An enormous effort has been made to make real the historical period in which everything happens, which does not exceed fifteen years (1912-1926). A short time span between the six to seven years the show aired, which allowed the cast's natural aging to dispense with make-up gimmicks to forge the characters' aging.

The script, created and written by Julian Fellowes, is interesting and covers well hot topics from that historical period: the sinking of the Titanic, the First World War, the political turn of Russia, the rise of Nazism, the emancipation of women, the loss of influence of aristocratic families etc. We can really see how all this has changed society, political life, mentality. We felt transported to that time to see how this noble family had a way of life threatened with extinction by the rapid advancement of time. Serious themes, in fact, but lightly approached and with room for moments of perfectly British humor, in charge of strong characters like Violet, who is against everything modern, and Mrs. Pattmore, always with a sharp tongue. There are no villains here ... despite some classic antagonists appearing in certain seasons (such as Bates's ex-wife) the one who comes closest to a villain is first footman Thomas Barrow, although last season be a true redemption for the character. In addition to it, we have some situations where generally good or neutral characters antagonize each other. This is the case of the Crawley sisters, where rivalry and mutual grudge prevail, while blood ties unite them, or Violet and Isobel, who cherish mutual love and hatred.

The cast is excellent and congratulations. Maggie Smith, a veteran, never disappoints us by impersonating the perfect Victorian lady. Hugh Bonneville was perfect in the role of Robert. Laura Carmichael and Michelle Dockery are amazing in the roles of the Crawley sisters. Jim Carter is the perfect butler and makes a great pair with Phyllis Logan. A word of appreciation, too, for Elizabeth McGovern, Jessica Findlay, Brendan Coyle, Joanne Froggatt, Robert James-Collier, Sophie McShera, Lesley Nicol, Penelope Wilton, Kevin Doyle, Siobhan Finneran, Dan Stevens, Lily James, Jeremy Swift, Sue Johnston and Zoe Boyle.

With sleek production and smooth photography, magnificent scenery (Highclere Castle's choice was very wise and made the house an additional character to the plot, which proves that I am right when advocating location shooting rather than abusive use of the green screen Downton Abbey is a true time machine. Grand, magnificent, it is certainly one of the best period television series of this decade.

First off i am definitely not the demographics this show was trying to capture. I am a United States Marine and I really don't think the writers had a guy like me in mind. All I can say is I'm so glad I took the time to watch this show. I absolutely loved it and have now watched the series twice. Its not action packed or anything like that. It is all about the writing and the characters. Just brilliant from start to finish and is a show the entire family can watch together. Maggie Smith if you ever read these comments just know you played my favorite character out of any series I've ever watched. You made this show absolutely perfect! If you are debating on whether or not to give this show a try take it from me, you wont want the show to ever end...

I have to say I loved Downton Abbey, and thought it was one of the better programmes airing this year along with Luther, Sherlock and the stunning Channel 4 drama Mo. Downton Abbey was beautifully produced, well cast and interesting, when it was first advertised it looked as though ITV had a hit and from the first episode I think Downton Abbey lived up to that expectation.

I for one loved how elegant Downton Abbey was. The photography was beautiful and skillful, while the scenery was breathtaking and the costumes were exquisite. The scoring was also very good, often very hypnotic and beautiful. The direction was controlled, the episodes were well paced and for me the characters were believable my favourites being Violet and Robert.

The writing in general was another strength. It was witty in a subtle way, is often funny and could be heart warming and poignant too, the best coming from Violet and Mrs Hughes I felt. The only bit of dialogue that rang false, and this is such a minor criticism, is Robert's "Downton is my third parent and my fourth child" which came across as somewhat cheesy. And the stories were well written and as believable as the characters, not to mention pretty original.

And of course the acting was excellent. Maggie Smith was perfect as Violet. She plays this sort of character well, and she had such good timing and dialogue. Plus I love her in costume. Hugh Bonneville was dashing, and I cannot get over how beautiful Michelle Dockery was here. Jessica Brown-Findlay was also fine as another of my favourite characters Lady Sybil, and Phyllis Logan was always good value though I would love to see more of her if and when the series returns.

In conclusion, Downton Abbey was a wonderful series thanks to the great cast and production values especially and I cannot wait to see more. 10/10 Bethany Cox

I was hooked after the first five minutes and come heaven, hell or high water, I was going to see Downton Abbey twice, the second time to pick up the points which I knew would be too fast, and possibly convoluted, to follow the first time round. I have watched Masterpiece since the inaugural with Alistair Cooke, and I can't remember anything as engaging and entertaining as this. As a cousin of an English family with deep affection for the monarchy and respect for the aristocracy, my perspective is an odd mix of Democratic ideals, old-time Republican values and curiosity about and appreciation of the social structure which prevailed so long in England. Downton Abbey appears to present a very balanced depiction of the social, political, economic and historical forces which drove the lives and fortunes of the classes and produced strange and almost incomprehensible behavior to comply with an unwritten, all-pervasive code. I am completely fascinated by the events and reactions and what would appear to be almost puppet-like behavior on occasion. I pray for a sequel.