Happy Downton Abbey 2 Day, U.S.

On: January 8, 2012,  By: Bill Young

Best news of all on Downton Abbey 2 Day in the U.S.!!!

As previously announced, Downton Abbey has been commissioned by ITV for another series of programs. Remember the angst that you felt at the end of series 1 not knowing if there was to be a series 2 or not? Not this time. You can go in to tonight’s premiere ep with the knowledge that there will be a series 3. The next installments will begin filming next month and will consist of 10 episodes. Make plans now for, I’m guessing, a Fall 2012 broadcast in the UK and a January 2013 broadcast in the U.S. on PBS.

Have you been ‘in pieces’ waiting for Downton Abbey 2 premiere?

Rest assured. You are not alone. One of the most-watched Masterpiece programs in decades returns to PBS tonight with the premiere episode of series 2. Here’s a fun video to help you put all the final pieces in place and get you through the next several hours before it begins.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2-XCev7sdqc&

Exclusive first 10-minutes of episode 1 of Downton Abbey 2

If you are still ‘in pieces’ and you just can’t stand it any longer….not to worry. The really nice folks over at PBS’ Masterpiece series are looking out for you. To get you ready for tonight’s premiere at 9pET/8pCT on PBS stations across United States, you can go to the Downton Abbey PBS Masterpiece homepage, look on the right side and click “Facebook Preview” for an exclusive peek at the first 10 minutes of tonight’s premiere episode. Or, you can go directly to the Masterpiece PBS Downton Abbey 2 Sneak Peek Facebook page, log in to Facebook, hit the “like” button and enjoy. And, if you have an hour before the premiere, you can watch the preview 6 times and it will be time for episode one to begin.

Either way….enjoy tonight’s premiere of Downton Abbey 2 on your local PBS station in the U.S. Would love to know what you thought after you watch….

In: Drama

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  • I didn’t dare watch any of the previews! Didn’t want to spoil any surprises. Premiere was so good, I can’t wait for the next episode. My husband, cousin and I made a real occasion of it and had shepherd’s pie and bread pudding or our viewing feast!

    • Jessica: Shepherd’s Pie is the best. Next time, take pics.

  • carrie

    I’m the same as Jessica. I wanted to save it all up to watch on tv. It was definitely worth the wait. 2 full hours of pure bliss!

    And for my viewing party we had club sandwiches, kettle corn popcorn and diet cherry Pepsi. Ha.

    p.s. So glad the new season of britcoms has started. Really loved Miranda. It was much funnier than I expected.

    • Carrie: Was right there with you until you mentioned Diet Cherry Pepsi. Sounds like something you make in Chemistry class. Glad you liked Miranda. There are currently 12 episodes that exist with a third season being produced as we speak.

  • not Bridget

    Watched the first episode on PBS.

    I know the Big Scandal that huge amounts had been cut from the first series was a bit of Daily Mail deception–I’ve seen both versions & very little was cut. But I seem to remember early reports that nothing would be removed for US broadcast this series.

    Of course, editing was required to fit into the different timeslot. But many who pirated the UK version are complaining of cuts. (Too bad for them.)

    Two questions:
    1) Who did the edits? PBS was blamed last time but the British production company edited what PBS showed.
    2) Are they hoping the edits will help? I did read critiques of the series in UK press; many were not happy with the way the story flowed. Now US fans can blame the cuts!

    It was unfortunate that Fellowes chose to skip 2 years in the show. Was there NO character development in those years? And it would have been good to see the effects of the Great War in greater detail. Nope, let’s skip through history so we can spend more time watching Mary & Matthew moon after each other….

  • Celeste

    I’m so glad there are other people who made a big production out of watching this. I baked cinnamon pecan cream scones and made a pot of decaf tea for my watching party. As for series two, it is so far definitely worth the wait! Good to see all the major characters back and adjusting to the war. I never thought I would feel even a twinge of sympathy for Thomas or chuckle at something O’Brien had done, but that probably won’t last long. The only problem now is that I have the theme stuck in my head, and that will most likely continue until next Sunday!

    Also, I agree with Carrie about Miranda. Funniest show I’ve seen in a long time. Thanks for adding it to the lineup, KERA!

  • jt

    I am really enjoying the new series so far. I agree that it was ashamed that they skipped two years. I expected it to pick up right where the first season left off, so that was a bit of jolt.

    I also noticed a number of changes. For example, the lighting has changed dramatically. I do not have the technical expertise to describe it, but this series, so far seems considerably darker. Anyone else notice it? I suppose it may be intentional since now they are two years into WW1, but that seems almost a bit too subtle for television. Besides which, they had only just installed electricity to parts of the Abbey in the last series. I do not really understand the change in lighting. Personally, I liked the lighting in the first series much better.

    Another thing I noticed is that the actors, at least in the first episode of this series, seemed slightly self-conscious to me. I had no idea it won so many awards, but perhaps with all eyes on them, it has made the a little self-conscious now.

    Finally, I noticed that they have spiffed up Matthew. I thought he looked better a little scruffier. I anticipated that Lady Mary would become more like Matthew over time, but it now seems Matthew is becoming more like them. One of my friends said she wished Mary would just go after Matthew, but I reminded her they have to keep them apart to keep the tension going. We have seen that in so many programs, including the American sitcom The Nanny and the American Drama/Comedy Moonlighting. Once the two lovers get together, the programs often become anti-climatic. That is just art mirroring life, though, I suppose.

    In any case, I eagerly await episode 3!