With six seasons, two movies and a third on the way, Downton Abbey might be one of the most successful period dramas of all time — and with good reason. The story of the Crawleys, a wealthy family who run an estate in the English countryside, is full of upstairs-downstairs drama, romance, scandal and history. It begins in 1912, and the story continues all the way through 1926.
At the heart of this PBS series is the romance between Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery), the eldest daughter of the family, and distant relative Matthew Crawley, (Dan Stevens), who becomes the heir to the estate (which is not allowed to pass to a woman) when the previous heir dies aboard the Titanic. Mary’s two younger sisters, Edith (Laura Carmichael) and Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay), are also seeking marriages and daring to dream bigger as rights for women begin to expand.
The staff of Downton also experiences its fair share of romantic drama, especially between valet Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle) and lady’s maid Anna (Joanne Froggatt). Perhaps the most memorable character of all is Lady Violet, the snarky and sharp Dowager Countess, played by the late, great Maggie Smith. Downton earned 69 Primetime Emmy nominations during its run — the most of any international series.
