Advanced Search Beta »
Basic Search Fields
Downton Abbey: Season 2
  • Network: PBS , ITV1 , ITV
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 9, 2011
  • Season #: 0 , 1 , 2
Downton Abbey Image
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 26 Critics What's this?

User Score
8.1 out of 10

Universal acclaim- based on 50 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
Rate this:
  • Summary: Season two begins in 1916, with heir Matthew Crawley fighting in the Battle of the Somme while the staff at Downton tries to keep things as they were before the war, even as the estate serves as a military rehab center.
  • Genre(s): Action/Adventure, Drama

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
  1. New York Post
    Reviewed by: Linda Stasi
    Jan 9, 2012
    100
    The series seamlessly moves between the horrors of war and the gentility of life in the show's titular 100-room manor.
  2. Wall Street Journal
    Reviewed by: Dorothy Rabinowitz
    Jan 6, 2012
    100
    The vibrant brew of upstairs-downstairs relationships is more savory now, the characters more complicated.
  3. Washington Post
    Reviewed by: Hank Stuever
    Jan 6, 2012
    50
    Downton Abbey lacks surprise and is stretched precariously thin, a house full of fascinating people with not nearly enough to do, all caught in a loop of weak storylines that circle round but never fully propel.

See all 26 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 10 out of 12
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 12
  3. Negative: 2 out of 12
  1. Thug-Negus
    10
    Downton Abbey, is simply delicious to watch, a sweetness in this cruel world. I like everything in this series, the characters, the costumes, the period, a great success as the first season.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes
  2. jmpatison
    10
    After finishing the 1st season and discovering that a 2nd was about to begin in Britain, I set out to find a legal way to watch them as they were shown, or at least soon after. After some searching, I found a place, paid my $10 and have enjoyed 4 weeks of viewing ecstasy since then. Equally as enthralling as the 1st season, the 2nd season has kept me completely invested and expectantly waiting for the next episode.… Expand
    • 1 of 2 users said yes
  3. georgeblomme
    3
    Not a bad show, but another of he endless glimpses of British history that the British TV and film execs cannot seem to shake, and get to modern times. But this is what the people of the British Isles relish too, like those old Music Hall shows. WWII seems to have put an end to the British quest to portray themselves as modern ambitious and talented people in a complex world. Instead every program, and so many movies, wallow in the Jane Austin's and counterintelligence groups that once did live in Britain and only stay on in some people's minds. Hooray to those viewers who like this material, but hey it might be time to move on.… Expand
    • 0 of 7 users said yes

See all 12 User Reviews

Related Articles

  1. Awards, TV, Movies

    2011 Golden Globe Nominations Announced

    2011 Golden Globe Nominations Announced Image
    Published: December 15, 2011
    Get a complete list of film and television nominees for the 69th Annual Golden Globe Awards.
    More »
  2. Best of 2011, TV

    2011 Television Critic Top Ten Lists [Updated Jan. 11]

    2011 Television Critic Top Ten Lists [Updated Jan. 11] Image
    Published: December 13, 2011
    Throughout the coming weeks, we’ll be aggregating the year-end Top Ten lists published by dozens of TV critics and publications. Find out which shows currently rank among the best of 2011.
    More »
  3. Awards, TV

    2011 Emmy Awards: Winners, Reactions, and Reviews

    2011 Emmy Awards: Winners, Reactions, and Reviews Image
    Published: September 19, 2011
    The 63rd Primetime Emmy Awards are in the books. Get a list and analysis of last night's winners, and find out how critics are reacting to the broadcast hosted by Jane Lynch.
    More »