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Upstairs, Downstairs: Season 1
  • Network: BBC-1 , PBS , BBC
  • Series Premiere Date: Apr 10, 2011
  • Season #: 1 , 2
Upstairs, Downstairs Image
Metascore
73 out of 100

Generally favorable reviews - based on 18 Critics What's this?

User Score
7.9 out of 10

Generally favorable reviews- based on 17 Ratings

Your Score
10 out of 10
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  • Summary: The sequel of the 1970s classic show about an affluent family and the servants who work for the family is set five years after the original series concluded.
  • Genre(s): Drama

Critic Reviews

Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 14 out of 18
  2. Mixed: 4 out of 18
  3. Negative: 0 out of 18
  1. San Francisco Chronicle
    Reviewed by: David Wiegand
    Apr 8, 2011
    100
    The performances are precise and beautifully detailed, as are the characterizations in Thomas' script. Fans of the original series will see certain echoes in some of the characters in the sequel, but the echoes are faint enough to allow us our memories of, among so many others, Rachel Gurney and David Langton as the Bellamys, Angela Baddeley as the cook and Gordon Jackson as Hudson, who was so much more than just the butler.
  2. Chicago Sun-Times
    Reviewed by: Paige Wiser
    Apr 7, 2011
    100
    Watching it was just bliss, and those of you who experienced the first five seasons in real time will probably enjoy it even more.
  3. New York Daily News
    Reviewed by: David Hinckley
    Apr 8, 2011
    60
    Fans will find much to enjoy here. At too many points, however, these first three episodes suggest that rekindling Upstairs Downstairs is not quite like riding a bicycle.

See all 18 Critic Reviews

User Reviews

Write a Review
Score distribution:
  1. Positive: 5 out of 5
  2. Mixed: 0 out of 5
  3. Negative: 0 out of 5
  1. CritiqueGirl
    10
    I really enjoyed the show tonight and from what I have read the 2nd and 3rd will just get better. Apparently the Nazi Regime will be integral to the story.… Expand
    • 2 of 2 users said yes
  2. chocolatekiss
    10
    Everything felt like the original. The complicated individuals and their relationships with one another have been presented skillfully and at a good pace. I loved how upbeat the show is even though there are sad, bad and ugly issues making me upset, mad and disgusted. There is a lot of good in most of the characters with their flaws being brought out just a bit and those you just know you are not going to like but can't wait to see the wreck they make of their lives. It seems one already has made a mess of things and you feel badly that is happened to someone who seemed so nice. Well done.… Expand
    • 0 of 0 users said yes
  3. jeremyp
    7
    The house is the same, at Eton Place, and Rose is still there, this time asked to hire and run staff for a new household. It's 1936 so we know WW2 is lurking, which means Nazis and Jews will be featured. We do get a Sikh, a monkey, a fascist, and an aging colonialist in the stew. We get to dislike Keeley Hawes, which is possibly why she took on the role as Lady Agnes, a snooty counterpoint to her husband's more liberal bent. Somehow the place seems emptier and, despite the new interior, mustier. Perhaps it's the smell of imminent decay, the musk of change in the social order? Downton Abbey is much more fascinating.… Expand
    • 1 of 1 users said yes

See all 5 User Reviews