Downton Abbey: Season 1

METASCORE

Universal acclaim based on 16 Critic Reviews

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USER SCORE

Universal acclaim based on 350 Ratings

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8.6

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8.6	Your Score
8.6	User Score Universal acclaim based on 350 Ratings

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Downton Abbey

Now Playing: Downton Abbey

Season Details & Credits

PBS | ITV1 | ITV | Season Premiere Date: September 26, 2010

Starring: Dan Stevens, Rob Collier, Phyllis Logan

Summary: Masterpiece imports ITV's miniseries about the lives of those living at Lord Robert Grantham's estate, Downton Abbey, in 1912. Intrigue and romance are a constant after it is discovered that the Titanic has taken all the possible male heirs.

Creator: Julian Fellowes

Genre(s): Drama

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Season 1 Episodes

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S1:E7. Episode 7
Air Date: November 7, 2010
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S1:E6. Episode 6
Air Date: October 31, 2010
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S1:E5. Episode 5
Air Date: October 24, 2010

See all Seasons and Episodes

Metascore

Positive:

Mixed:

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Critic Reviews

100

Robert Bianco

Jan 7, 2011

There are worse sins than looking like a Jane Austen movie. In fact, with PBS' latest British hit import, the unfailingly entertaining Downton Abbey, it might even be a blessing. Read full review

100

David Wiegand

Jan 7, 2011

Fellowes does know how to write some tasty dialogue, especially for Maggie Smith....The other performances are equally winning, but beyond that, you can't help feeling these actors are having a jolly good time with all this overblown fluff. And so will you. Read full review

100

Mary McNamara

Jan 9, 2011

Downton Abbey, which premieres Sunday, is this generation's "Upstairs, Downstairs," both in theme--the daily dramas of a titled British family and their many servants--and in stature. Read full review

Rob Owen

Jan 6, 2011

As a new year begins, viewers will be hard-pressed to find a more sumptuous, engaging drama than the "Masterpiece Classic" miniseries Downton Abbey. Read full review

Peter Swanson

Jan 10, 2011

For every Mrs. Patmore, the cook who wants nothing more than to stay in service the remainder of her life, there is a housemaid such as Gwen (Rose Leslie), who dreams of becoming a secretary in a modern office. It's these dichotomies, and the way they exist within both the Abbey itself (half the rooms have electricity and half don't) and its multifaceted inhabitants that make Downton Abbey not only the best soap opera currently on television, but one of the most relevant as well. Read full review

Mark Dawidziak

Jan 10, 2014

If some plot elements in the third season seemed forced (and they did), then Fellowes seems to have completely regained his balance in the fourth season. And that balance means expertly bouncing between the upstairs and downstairs worlds of Downton, letting the plot turns flow naturally, carrying us along joyously for the posh ride. Read full review

Alan Sepinwall

Feb 14, 2011

Now, I wouldn't say I loved it. Parts of it I didn't even like. I became quite engaged with what was going on downstairs with the servants, while I found virtually everything having to do with the Granthams (at least the parts unrelated to how they dealt with the staff) a chore to get through. Read full review

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User Score

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8.6

User Reviews

Canisrah

Jun 4, 2011

An absolute joy to watch from start to finish. Full of class and sophistication, subtle, humorous, dramatic, enticing, sumptuous and eminently watchable. It's quite simply the best TV series to coming along in a very long time. Production values are excellent resulting in a period story thatAn absolute joy to watch from start to finish. Full of class and sophistication, subtle, humorous, dramatic, enticing, sumptuous and eminently watchable. It's quite simply the best TV series to coming along in a very long time. Production values are excellent resulting in a period story that is believable and immersive. Don't miss it; it's a wonderful experience.… Expand

4 of 7 users found this helpful43

TVTX

Jun 6, 2011

I loved this show and the characters. I'm so glad that they are showing interesting shows to watch on Masterpiece Theater this past year or two. I can't wait to see what happens to the characters in the next season, which I understand is being filmed. The dialogue was perfect and the wholeI loved this show and the characters. I'm so glad that they are showing interesting shows to watch on Masterpiece Theater this past year or two. I can't wait to see what happens to the characters in the next season, which I understand is being filmed. The dialogue was perfect and the whole season was well written.… Expand

1 of 3 users found this helpful12

jmpatison

Oct 10, 2011

This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. Impeccable. Inventive (to a point). Incredible. These are 3 of the plethora of adjectives I could use to describe the triumph that is Downton Abbey. The Emmy-winning mini-series-turned-series has been called the "Upstairs, Downstairs" of this generation, but in my limited experience with the latter, Downton takes the cake, several cakes if you will. After first hearing about the series over 1 year ago through my love of the script of Gosford Park and its writer, Julian Fellowes, I honestly forgot about it. That was until the series won the Emmy for Best Mini-Series/TV Movie. That rekindled my interest. I looked on Netflix, and lo-and-behold, it was viewable instantly. After the first 10-15 minutes of episode 1, I was hooked. Fellowes, who won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Gosford Park, and his screenwriting capabilities have improved exponentially since 2001. A better production than Gosford Park by leaps and bounds, I was absolutely blown away by the screenplay. It juggles multiple complicated story lines deftly and the direction is equally skillful (especially that of Brian Percival). Set in Yorkshire and using Highclere Castle in Hampshire as the manor house, the story line begins with the sinking of the Titanic and continues to the end of the 1st season and the outbreak of World War I. A succession crisis of sorts as well as a sex scandal are thrown into the mix. The acting is top-notch, with Maggie Smith leading the bunch with one of the best performances (stage, film, TV, or otherwise) of her illustrious career as the proper, conservative, yet fiery grandmother/mother, the Dowager Countess. Her line delivery will make you at least chuckle 75-90% of the time. Also fantastic are Hugh Bonneville as the Earl and Elizabeth McGovern as his wife. Also featured are British mainstays of these sorts of series including Brendan Coyle, Jim Carter, and Phyllis Logan. The three daughters of Bonneville and McGovern are quite well-acted, with Michelle Dockery's performance as the eldest as the one of note, and those of Laura Carmichael and Jessica Brown-Findlay also quite good. Some other personal favorite performances of mine are those of Joanne Froggatt, Rose Leslie, Dan Stevens, Penelope Wilton, and Siobhan Finneran. Easily the best show on television, I would recommend Downton Abbey to anyone who appreciates British period dramas, great acting, possibly the best TV mini-series script ever written, or magnificent characterization.… Expand

0 of 2 users found this helpful02

CASL

Feb 6, 2011

I do love period pieces. That said this is such a wonderful series. Well written, amazing cast that totally delivers. Thank God there is something for adults to enjoy on TV.

2 of 2 users found this helpful20

squintlicker

Sep 9, 2014

As an historian, I love the world. As a viewer, I love the characters. Because that's what this show is. It's a full set of genuine characters set in the 1910-1920s. You get a great view of how things were even just 100 years ago, and you end up feeling like part of the Downton family.

0 of 0 users found this helpful00

Ydun

Jun 28, 2011

I just love this show, and I can't wait for the second season - and the Christmas special! (Wiki). I find the show so interesting and exiting. It's like a British version of the Danish show "Matador" and I have been looking for a show just like that for so long now.
I am really lookingI just love this show, and I can't wait for the second season - and the Christmas special! (Wiki). I find the show so interesting and exiting. It's like a British version of the Danish show "Matador" and I have been looking for a show just like that for so long now.
I am really looking forward to the return of Downton Abbey!… Expand

1 of 2 users found this helpful11

marylynsim

Jan 23, 2011

Okay, I just finished tonight's episode and that's it for me. I can't take anymore. If I ever hear it's actually ending, I may check in to see how. I wonder if the producers/writers, whatever, thought they were making another "Upstairs/Downstairs"? If so, they weren't. That was aOkay, I just finished tonight's episode and that's it for me. I can't take anymore. If I ever hear it's actually ending, I may check in to see how. I wonder if the producers/writers, whatever, thought they were making another "Upstairs/Downstairs"? If so, they weren't. That was a fantastic series.… Expand

1 of 18 users found this helpful117

SEE ALL 52 REVIEWS

Seasons & Episodes

80

Series Overview
Season 6

76
- Season 6 Overview
  Air Date: January 3, 2016
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
- tbd
  S1:E7. Episode 7
  Air Date: November 7, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E6. Episode 6
  Air Date: October 31, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E5. Episode 5
  Air Date: October 24, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E4. Episode 4
  Air Date: October 17, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E3. Episode 3
  Air Date: October 10, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E2. Episode 2
  Air Date: October 3, 2010
- tbd
  S1:E1. Episode 1
  Air Date: September 26, 2010