Drama

The highly anticipated second series of Downton Abbey returned to America this past Sunday with strong ratings, plenty of drama, and lots of twists to get fans talking. So…let’s do that, shall we?

The two-hour first episode introduced war to Downton, offered lots of changes to relationships both new and old, and brought some new characters into the fold. Click through for a recap of the big plot takeaways and share your thoughts on the episode in the comments!

Time for a quick programming update that's sure to make a lot of you smile!

Charming romantic drama William and Mary, starring Doc Martin’s Martin Clunes and Survivors' Julie Graham, is moving to Sundays at 4pm on WETA starting this weekend on January 15th. The series will be part of a new block of British programming on Sunday afternoons, which will also feature Sherlock Holmes and Prime Suspect.

WETA will be starting William & Mary over from the very first episode this Sunday, so now’s the perfect time to jump in if you’ve been thinking about trying it out. In additional great news, the entirety of the series will now air in order during this Sunday timeslot! We’ve got all three seasons - 18 episodes - so you won’t have to worry about missing out on anything!

The BBC has released its first image from the upcoming series of Upstairs Downstairs. The new photo features our first look at Doctor Who star Alex Kingston, who is joining the cast for Series 2, alongside Keeley Hawes.

Kingston will play Blanche Mottershead, the younger sister of Dame Eileen Atkins’ Lady Maud Holland. Atkins decided not to take part in the second season of Upstairs Downstairs last year.

Click through for a look for yourself!

The wonderful Downton Abbey returns tonight at 9pm on Masterpiece Classic. To say that a lot of us are over the moon excited about this is a bit of an understatement.

The first series aired last winter, won four Emmys, and has become a pop culture obsession on both sides of the pond. If you’ve yet to experience the brilliance that is this wonderful period drama, WETA is marathoning the entire first series this afternoon, starting in just about half an hour, all leading up to the Series 2 premiere at 9pm.

If you’ve somehow managed to miss out on the excellence that is this show, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. Well, right now is a perfect time to catch up and jump right in, and it’s highly likely you’ll end up just as swept away as the rest of us? Why? Click through and see for yourself.

The second episode of Sherlock Series 2 is airing in the UK this evening (lucky!), but we can still get a small Holmes fix in America to help tide us over until May.

“The Hounds of Baskerville” is written by Sherlock co-creator Mark Gatiss and features a guest appearance from popular Being Human star Russell Tovey. Based on what is arguably Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s most well-recognized story, “The Hound of the Baskervilles,” this episode is sure to dial the creepy, psychological horror factor up to eleven.

Click through for a look at the BBC’s promotional trailer, as well as a sneak peek scene from the episode. It’s not spoilery at all – though it does confirm that Sherlock is capable of sitting and having a pint like a normal person – so it’s safe for those of you who don’t want to know any significant plot details before you see it for yourselves. Sherlock will return to America as part of the new season of Masterpiece Mystery starting May 6.

Series 2 of Downton Abbey starts tomorrow night at 9pm! (And how much fun is it to say that, finally?)

Click through and whet your appetite for tomorrow night with this sneak peek at a scene from the first episode, featuring a brand new character, an awkward Downton dinner party and the Dowager Countess being…well, pretty much exactly how you’d expect. It looks brilliant!

Two days until Downton Abbey is back! If you’re looking for a more interactive viewing experience during the premiere broadcast on Sunday night, you might want to check out the special events happening that night on Twitter.

The official Masterpiece account will be hosting a live Twitter event from 9-11pm Eastern time, featuring comedian and huge Downton fan Patton Oswalt, as well as contributors from Vanity Fair Magazine, Tom and Lorenzo (I love that site!), Austenprose. If you’re on Twitter and want to participate, just use and track the hashtag #DowntonPBS.

But, if any of you happen to be big Twitter enthusiasts – not that I would know anything about wasting hours of one’s life on Twitter, no... – then there are a few other accounts you might want to follow that will prove very relevant to your interests. Click through for a guide to the world of Downton on Twitter, including official accounts, cast members, fan sites, and a bit of fun.

With excitement high virtually everywhere for the Series 2 premiere of Downton Abbey this weekend (three days, hurray!), everyone is clearly thinking about how to appropriately mark such a momentous occasion. And, really, what better way to do so than by having your nearest and dearest period drama-loving friends over to watch along with you? (It’s what I’m planning to do, after all, so I’d like to hope I won’t be the odd woman out with this particular scenario…) So, if you think you might like to throw yourself a Downton viewing party this Sunday andcelebrate the return of the Crawleys to America, click through for a few suggestions about invitations, food, beverages and party activities that will make your get together the very envy of society. Or at least, get some tasty snacks out of the deal.

The lovely thing about Downton Abbey’s meteoric rise to popularity over the past year is that not only do we get an incredible actual product (as I can only assume that Series 2 will continue right on being brilliant), we also get to enjoy the fun little extra bits and bobs which pop up here and there (thanks, internet!) poking fun at the successful period drama.

So, while we’re whiling away the hours until Sunday night, why not click through have a few laughs with some of the entertaining Downton-inspired items from around the web.

For those of us in America who are counting down the days till the Stateside premiere of the BBC’s wonderful Sherlock adaptation in May, the lovely folks over at fan site Sherlockology are nothing short of an amazing resource during our time of waiting. (123 days to go! Not that I have a countdown clock or anything. Because that would be weird.)

Their site is dedicated to remaining spoiler-free until after the US broadcast, but they have still been regularly providing us with photos, reviews and other goodies that fans can indulge in without worrying about whether they’ll ruin the experience of watching for themselves when the time comes. (I’m a big fan of theirs – can you tell?)

Like this clip from Series 2’s first episode – A Scandal in Belgravia - which aired in the UK this past Sunday. All viewers can feel perfectly safe watching it, as it reveals nothing about the overall plot of the episode, and is basically just two minutes of Sherlock and John being awesome, as well as a bit unorthodox in their investigating methods. It’s definitely worth a look, so click through and have at it!