The Final Hats of 'Downton Abbey'

Downton Abbey was the beginning of a new era on PBS when it debuted, even though no one knew it at the time. Meant as a truncated one-and-done miniseries when it premiered in the depths of winter in 2011, the series became a word-of-mouth sensation via burgeoning social media. By the time Season 2 debuted in January 2012, Downton, now as a weekly drama, did something for PBS that hadn't been accomplished since the introduction of cable TV to the landscape: it beat the other broadcast stations for the most viewers that evening.

The series was also part of a one-two punch (along with Game of Thrones) that brought a new generation of women to TV criticism; Telly Visions is a product of that boom, as am I. The first post I ever wrote that got a wide audience readership could have been posted here at the time, had Lacy and I known each other: "The Hats of Downton Abbey."

Part of Downton Abbey's attraction was the detailed props and costumes harkening back to an era when men and women wore gloves, and toasters were seen as godless contraptions. But the hats have always been on point, from the original Edwardian-era Season 1, through to the beginning of the end of the interwar period in 1930. With the final film, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, taking us off to the Ascot races, the hats for this final go round promise to be something special. Let's take a gander.