There is something about period TV shows that interests me. The one I am hooked to recently is “Downton Abbey”. This is a British TV Drama whose story starts around 1912 in a village near York, Britain, with the fiancée to the elder daughter of the house and legal heir being dead in Titanic shipwreck. The story revolves around the family of Earl and Countess of Grantham and follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family. What makes the story more interesting is the focus on what happens in the servants quarters of Downton Abbey. The lifestyle of the owners of the house and the people who work for them can’t be more different but the show brings it all together in a common storyline. Every character seems to be given equal importance with no protagonist as such but still makes it easier to feel for the characters. What I feel is the success of the show is the selection of the casts – they are perfect and appear to be made for the characters they play. Great work by the Director in the casting and the actors.
Season 1 was all about the love life of the daughters of Lord Grantham & life in Downton Abbey, Season 2 was all about World War 1 and its effects on everyday life in Britain. Though it was dramatized for TV still you could get a feel of how life was during the Great War, the sacrifices people made for their country. Season 2 ended with the story as on New Year 1920, War was behind, the puzzle on who will be the suitor to Elder daughter getting resolved – all this increasing the expectation on what’s coming next. I can’t wait for the upcoming Season 3 around September 2012.
I am not aware why this award-winning show is not shown on any of the channels in India. Doesn’t the Indian audience enjoy this genre like the American and British?. I bought the series from iTunes, for Season 1 the SD version. I liked it so much the series that paid more and got the HD version for Season 2. I can’t believe the clarity of the screens in HD was awesome.
Downton Abbey (TV Series) – Hugh Bonneville, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Jim Carter, Brendan Coyle and others