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Downton Abbey

METASCORE

Generally favorable reviews based on 141 Critic Reviews

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80

USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 32 Ratings

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8.3

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8.3	Your Score
8.3	User Score Universal acclaim based on 32 Ratings

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Downton Abbey

Now Playing: Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey

Series Details & Credits

PBS | ITV1 | ITV | INGTV | Release Date: January 9, 2011

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.

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre(s): Drama

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Recent Episodes

tbd
S6:E9. The Finale
Air Date: December 25, 2015
tbd
S6:E8. Episode 8
Air Date: November 8, 2015
tbd
S6:E7. Episode 7
Air Date: November 1, 2015

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

80

Positive:

126

Mixed:

14

Negative:

1

Critic Reviews

100

Uncle Barky Ed Bark

Jan 4, 2016

Season 6 Review: Judging from the first eight hours, it truly will be grand. Downton Abbey looks for all the world as though it’s steaming steadily toward happy or at least contented endings for one and all. Read full review

100

USA Today

Robert Bianco

Jan 6, 2012

Season 2 Review: There's nothing in Downton you won't recognize, and almost nothing you won't enjoy. Read full review

90

Boston Globe

Sarah Rodman

Jan 6, 2012

Season 2 Review: Rarely do they strain the credulity of real situations or the constraints of the time. Read full review

80

Variety

Brian Lowry

Jan 2, 2014

Season 4 Review: The cast is so uniformly good, frankly, it’s tempting not to single anyone out, and Fellowes continues to juggle the dizzying assortment of plots with what appears to be effortless ease. That said, one can see him repeating himself in some of the flourishes as the season progresses. Read full review

75

Uncle Barky Ed Bark

Jan 6, 2014

Season 4 Review: PBS made all but the final two hours of Season 4 available for review. And while certainly not a slog, they end up being more than a bit saggy.... ownton Abbey has no scenes or sequences of knockout import during these first seven episodes. Read full review

70

Washington Post

Hank Stuever

Jan 3, 2015

Season 5 Review: Downton Abbey doesn’t meet any objective criteria for brilliant television except for one: escapism. Read full review

30

Baltimore Sun

David Zurawik

Jan 4, 2015

Season 5 Review: Let's not kid ourselves, this is mainly escapist entertainment fare.... I'm sorry, but I cannot feel good about watching a drama that celebrates--yes, celebrates--one class of people oppressing another. Read full review

SEE ALL 141 REVIEWS

Write a Review

8.3

Mixed:

0

User Reviews

10

FilipeNeto

Sep 2, 2019

It will be hard to do better than this.

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 andIt will be hard to do better than this.

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.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

3

Nobilis1984

May 1, 2022

One of the dullest and worst series, I can't understand why you've been doing this for 5 years.
The actors are excellent, but the stories etc. are so bad for me. Cultivated boredom spreads with every episode.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

0

hertzian68

Sep 4, 2020

One of the dumbest edwardian england shows there is. Where do I start? Sheesh, first of all if you want an excellent series get the Upstairs Downstairs 70's show, downton copies so many characters from that it's almost copyright level. Another great series is Brideshead Revisited from theOne of the dumbest edwardian england shows there is. Where do I start? Sheesh, first of all if you want an excellent series get the Upstairs Downstairs 70's show, downton copies so many characters from that it's almost copyright level. Another great series is Brideshead Revisited from the early 80's. But Downton is so cringy and it's very sad how so many think this piece of garbage is so great. The social programming sjw stuff is all over this series as well, adding a further level of cringe and false revisionism. The cliches are all in there as well. This series makes mountains out of molehills and trumps it up as "drama" with the music and way overblown acting. The whole character who dies suddenly is so implausible and stupid it's laughable. Then the whore daughter plays some heroine to be pitied etc The whole show is about a bunch of greedy vapid people worried about money and property, all with plastic smiles and manners so fake it hurts. England at that time was thoroughly material greed infested and worked for those who are always at the bottom of that satanic creed, since before the Cross. Most of classic English lit of the period is about this theme of inheriting and horse trading for wealthy sons and daughters, Dickens, Austen, etc etc A bunch of pretty words, showy titles and uniforms belies the reality of the wretched english. This show is so bad that S1 is as good as it gets, I've seen through S3 and just couldn't watch it past that it's so bad.… Expand

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

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Seasons & Episodes

80

Series Overview
Season 6

76
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: January 3, 2016
- tbd
  S6:E9. The Finale
  Air Date: December 25, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E8. Episode 8
  Air Date: November 8, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E7. Episode 7
  Air Date: November 1, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: October 25, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: October 18, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: October 11, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: October 4, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: September 27, 2015
- tbd
  S6:E1. Episode 1
  Air Date: September 20, 2015
Season 5

75
- Season 5 Overview
  Air Date: September 21, 2014
Season 4

72
- Season 4 Overview
  Air Date: September 22, 2013
Season 3

83
- Season 3 Overview
  Air Date: September 16, 2012
Season 2

85
- Season 2 Overview
  Air Date: September 18, 2011
Season 1

91
- Season 1 Overview
  Air Date: September 26, 2010