What is it about ? From 1914 to 1930, a Bristish family from the aristocraty, the Crawleys, live in their manor, Dowton Abbey, in the Yorkshire. Surrounded by dozens of domestic servants -working in a precise hierarchy, they live in the luxury but are not spared by dramatic events. Close to them, their domestic servants go throught the same historical events, living their own difficult lives.
Although it’s major series, which received numerous awards, I cannot say that I am a fan. I love history, I love British series, so I must have seen four seasons or so, and found them more or less equally boring. Much to classical to my taste ! True, the sets and the costumes are beautiful, but the plot is so serious and absolutely not original. Wealthy people can also endure dramas and be sad ? Poor things… Wether the characters are from the family or from the servants, I couldn’t feel empathy for anyone of them, except for the brilliant Maggie Smith’s grandmother Violet. But Downton Abbey is still a milestone in the saga of series.
6 seasons + 1 movie (2019), 52 episodes (45 mn), 2010-2015
Casting
- The Crawleys : Maggie Smith / grandmother Violet, Hugh Bonneville / Lord Robert, Elizabeth Mc Govern / Lady Cora, Michelle Dockery / Mary, Laura Carmichael / Edith, Jessica Brown Findlay / Sybil
- Family and in-laws: Dan Stevens / Matthew, Penelope Wilton / Isabelle Grey, Allen Leech / Branson
- Servants : Jim Carter / Carson, Phyllis Logan / Mrs Hughes, Brendan Coyle / John Bates, Rob James-Collier / Barrow
