“Who will marry whom?” and “Will Mr. Bates get out of prison?” are two of the driving questions that lingered as season two of PBS’s highest-rated Masterpiece series came to an end in 2011. As a teaser and fundraising event, PBS is airing a special, hosted by Angela Lansbury, that revisits key moments of the first two seasons, sums up where the series left off and entices with clips about Downtown Abbey’s upstairs/downstairs folks post-World War I, coming up in season three. The new season premieres Jan. 6.
“Downtown Abbey Revisited” is filled with interviews with the actors and producers, but not a word is mentioned about the future of Dame Maggie Smith’s character, Violet, Dowager Countess of Grantham (rumors hint Smith is leaving the series). However, fans of the show will be very interested in seeing a new character, Martha Levinson (Shirley MacLaine), Lady Grantham’s mother from America. How will the two amazing actresses interact and play off one another?
Season three of this period soap opera, co-created and written by Julian Fellows, is about click here to continue reading
