Downton Abbey: Season 2
  • Network: PBS , ITV1 , ITV
  • Series Premiere Date: Jan 9, 2011
  • Season #: 1 , 2 , 3
Metascore
84 out of 100

Universal acclaim - based on 26 Critics

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 25 out of 26
  2. Mixed: 1 out of 26
  3. Negative: 0 out of 26
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  1. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Jan 5, 2012
    100
    Season one set the bar high. Season two clears it.
  2. Variety
    Reviewed by: Brian Lowry
    Jan 3, 2012
    100
    Julian Fellowes has created such a vivid group of characters and assembled such an impeccable cast--effortlessly oscillating from comedy to drama--that the hours fly by, addictively pulling viewers from one into the next.
  3. TV Guide
    Reviewed by: Matt Roush
    Jan 6, 2012
    100
    For those of us who hungered for a year to witness these new chapters, the appetite is insatiable.
  4. Newsday
    Reviewed by: Verne Gay
    Jan 4, 2012
    91
    Much grimmer, grayer and (gasp) dowdier. Still mostly wonderful.
  5. USA Today
    Reviewed by: Robert Bianco
    Jan 6, 2012
    100
    There's nothing in Downton you won't recognize, and almost nothing you won't enjoy.
  6. 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.
  7. The Hollywood Reporter
    Reviewed by: Tim Goodman
    Jan 9, 2012
    90
    The characters are so beautifully and thoroughly rendered that we, as viewers, are caught up in their lives.
  8. Entertainment Weekly
    Reviewed by: Ken Tucker
    Jan 13, 2012
    83
    Despite all the repetition and longueurs, this Downton Abbey frequently works, as the first one did, as a peppery little trifle.
  9. Hitfix
    Reviewed by: Alan Sepinwall
    Jan 5, 2012
    83
    The ideas behind most of these developments are fine, but they get thrown at the viewer so haphazardly as to require dramatic organ music when each is introduced.
  10. Los Angeles Times
    Reviewed by: Robert Lloyd
    Jan 6, 2012
    90
    It is big, beautiful, beautifully acted and romantic, its passions expressed with that particular British reserve that serves only to make them burn brighter.
  11. Boston Herald
    Reviewed by: Mark A. Perigard
    Jan 9, 2012
    83
    Series creator and writer Julian Fellowes has a habit of using dialogue to telegraph the obvious.
  12. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Jan 6, 2012
    100
    The emotional authenticity of Downton Abbey continues to make it a classic.
  13. 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.
  14. San Jose Mercury News/Contra Costa Times
    Reviewed by: Chuck Barney
    Jan 4, 2012
    88
    Some of the characters are so simplistically drawn that it's laughable. On the other hand, we love these characters so much and we're having such a jolly good time that we just can't resist Downton Abbey.
  15. Denver Post
    Reviewed by: Joanne Ostrow
    Jan 5, 2012
    90
    Judging by the first five hours of the second season, it successfully broadens the storylines of several key characters. The cast is first-rate; only Elizabeth McGovern? occasionally rings a false.
  16. Boston Globe
    Reviewed by: Sarah Rodman
    Jan 6, 2012
    90
    Rarely do they strain the credulity of real situations or the constraints of the time.

User Reviews

All reviews »
User Score
7.7 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 104 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 18
  3. Negative: 4 out of 18
  1. maclaughlin
    3
    Much like the first season, the second season creates a captivating world in its sets and costumes, but the writing is lazy and cartoonish. Eight years pass from the beginning of the first season to the end of the second season, and no attempt whatsoever is made to age the characters. In one episode, some attempt is finally made to give the villains some depth and motivation, but it's fleeting, and many of the characters remain one-dimensional. For a soap opera, this is probably the best of its kind, but the writing is too weak to validate all the accolades.… Full Review »
  2. m_elders
    10
    I've never liked a period drama before, but this got such good reviews, I thought I'd give it a try. I'm so glad I did! I watched both seasons over the course of four days, and now I just want more. It's written incredibly well. There is SO much dialogue, but it's all worth hearing. Little quips here, wise advice there, etc. The music is also spectacular. I'm of the belief that a show without good music loses some of its emotion, but the music is present in this show, and it's beautiful. And of course, no show is any good without great characters, and I must say, every character shown on the box is fleshed out realistically, and plays a large role in the story. This show is certainly not for everyone, but it's at least worth a viewing.… Full Review »
  3. 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.… Full Review »
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