Downton Abbey makes PBS an overnight success after 40+ years

PBS has now, officially, arrived. According to former Variety reporter Michael Schneider who is now with TV Guide, PBS is achieving their first TV Guide cover for a primetime program since the premiere of Carl Sagan’s Cosmos series in 1980. Finally, PBS has firmly planted the flag on the television landscape and taken back its […]

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Shirley MacLaine joins cast of Downton Abbey 3

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Shirley MacLaine will join the cast of Downton Abbey as filming begins next month taking the DA saga into the 1920’s. MacLaine will play Martha Levinson, the American mother of Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern). Laura Mackie, director of drama at ITV, said, “It is so exciting to have an actress […]

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Downton Abbey vs. Andrew Lloyd Webber, round 1

Given the worldwide Downton Abbey fever that continues to engulf the U.S., this story was just to good to pass up when I ran across it recently. So, with upfront apologies as to the possibility that this might be a really old story that is past its prime, as it was first reported back in […]

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CBS' "Elementary" idea – Been there, done that

Before we leave our well-deserved bowing before the brilliance that is the BBC’s Sherlock, you may remember back in the fall reading here about an absolutely ridiculous notion that the CBS Television Network had thoughts of creating a 21st century version of Sherlock Holmes. I think, at the time, my only comment was “…how original”. […]

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Vote for your favorite Downton Abbey character

As U.S. television viewers continue their weekly love affair with Downton Abbey, series producers are gearing up for production of the third series, which is set to begin in the UK in February. Prior to the premiere of series 2, viewers on both sides of the pond have not only had the opportunity to determine […]

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Sherlock 3 confirmed!

While the Steven Moffat/Mark Gatiss brilliance that is Sherlock was coming to a second series finale last night with the transmission of The Reichenbach Fall, Downton Abbey, the other bit of brilliance out of the UK, was moments away from winning this years Golden Globe for Best mini-series or motion picture made for television. Both […]

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Move over Jewel…Brideshead…Tales, here comes Downton Abbey

The recent U.S. popularity of the mega-hit, Downton Abbey, brings to mind not only the obvious, Upstairs Downstairs, but also the likes of PBS’ Jewel in the Crown, Brideshead Revisited and, oddly, Armistead Maupin’s Tales of the City broadcast from a water cooler popularity standpoint. With Downton Abbey, there’s a new sheriff in town at […]

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A little post-Sherlock/Downton Abbey scattershooting

Now that UK audiences are 2/3rd through series 2 of Sherlock and the long Downton Abbey series 2 wait is over for U.S. audiences time to peruse the Internets for some stories that may have been missed while both sides of the pond had stayed away from any potential spoiler alerts this week…. Voldemort the […]

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Happy Downton Abbey 2 Day, U.S.

Best news of all on Downton Abbey 2 Day in the U.S.!!! As previously announced, Downton Abbey has been commissioned by ITV for another series of programs. Remember the angst that you felt at the end of series 1 not knowing if there was to be a series 2 or not? Not this time. You […]

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