I’m a Downton Abbey fan, and I’m glad the series started up again, last season though it be. I am rather astonished, though, at the hype and frenzy around this excellent portrayal of the British class system in the first half of the 20th century. But I haven’t heard any credit being given to the series that Downton Abbey is, in effect, remaking: Upstairs, Downstairs.
Upstairs, Downstairs has an identical premise: Portray an aristocratic house, with both the aristocratic family and the lives of the servants, with both parallel and intersecting story lines.
Do so with impeccable historical and social realism, with the very best actors and superb writing.
The main difference is that Upstairs, Downstairs portrayed a mansion in the city, with occasional forays into the countryside, while Downton Abbey gives us a country estate, with occasional visits into the city.
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