User reviews

I'm amazed to find that not only do many Americans give high marks to this badly written, poorly directed, and frequently ham-acted period soap opera but so do plenty of Brits.

For me it's all in the writing, which is awful. Not just that much of the history is incorrect or missing key elements but the characters are never fleshed-out and remain one-dimensional. Plot lines quickly fade away, never to reappear without any just cause. Other plots go on for far too long.

The writing by Julian Fellowes, is surprisingly poor, even for an actor. The obvious lack of research is for me unnerving. Worse than that is Fellowes simply plagiarizes most of the story and even characters. A little Waugh, Jan Struther, Jean Marsh and Eileen Atkins, Coward, Alcott, Forster and Christie to name but a few. Even Maggie Smith's character comes off as one dimensional; a sassy dowager stock character with nothing to offer other than witty one-line barbs.

If Fellowes' name (I only know of him as the writer of Gosford Park - but that film had a strong director, Robert Altman) is enough to get a project green-lighted, surely the production budget allows enough for a script doctor? Downton Abbey is in dire need of one.

And because I am familiar with a few of the fine actors in Downton Abbey, watching them wrestle with a weak script and simply terrible plot lines, it's embarrassing to witness. Only Siobhan Finneran seems to be able to rise above the putrid pablum.

Yes the gowns, jewels, men's suits, complexions, interior sets, exteriors etc...are all gorgeous and beautiful. But that's it. There is nothing beneath the exquisite facade. No substance.

It's incredible how many awards this trash has won in both the UK and US. Downtown Abbey should be shown to screenwriters and playwrights for how NOT to write. It's also incredible that this program scores so highly on IMDb; just unbelievable.

If you like period dramas, Masterpiece Theatre, BBC stuff - you should search out Granada TV's 1981 Brideshead Revisited, PBS' 1970's Upstairs Downstairs (produced by the excellent John Hawkesworth) or Christine Edzard's Little Dorrit (1988), BBC's more recent Bleak House (2005) and Little Dorrit (2008).

Downton Abbey is absolute unmitigated drivel. I have never seen or heard such tripe! I felt sure it was written by an American, given the deliberate blurring of social strata, with sullen and insolent staff, naive and over-familiar upper-class, and altogether far too much scheming and intrigue. It smacks of a daytime soap opera! What nonsense! It's also terribly "choppy", with scenes lasting only 30 seconds to a minute (perhaps why it's so popular in the U.S.). The characters are also too entirely comical and cliché. The distant, preoccupied lord, clueless as to the goings-on under his own roof, the stuffy butler, the fussy cook, the meddling house-keeper. Good grief! I cannot believe that people actually buy this insipid vomit! From a cultural and historically social perspective, it is entirely inaccurate. The writing is like from some Harlequin novel rubbish. And the acting is over-done and clumsy (they are all trying far too hard to "act"!).

Garbage that is all-too-easily upstaged by the likes of "Upstairs Downstairs". The only "spoiler" in this offal is that it was written in the first place.

The worst show I have ever watched. It is depressing, boring and the storyline goes absolutely nowhere!! It is just plain awful!! The acting is actually annoying and I honestly don't see why anyone would bother watching this. If anyone is looking for a show to cheer them up then do not watch this. It is always full of sad British people blabbing on about boring boring stuff. I don't know why everybody likes it, honestly I just think people like it because of the publicity it gets. So if anyone hasn't watched then please save yourself from possible suicide and don't watch it. So my overall review of this show is: Amazingly horrible, just terrible.

The bizarre casting, the soggy script - I use the term 'script' loosely - the feeble, predictable story line and the equally predictable, one-dimensional characters all combine to create unbelievably awful telly. Parts of it were so bad, I actually laughed out loud.

The big mysteries for me are: What on earth is Maggie Smith doing in this drivel? and...why do so many people like it?! And did someone tell the actors that behaving like you're on tranquillizers is a good way to look typically 'Briddish'?

Avoid like the plague, except if you want to use it as an example of how NOT to make an historical drama.

Having to sit through this as wife ran out of box sets whilst on lockdown. Managed to avoid when originally aired but for the life of me, I cant understand the rave reviews. It plods along with most annoying 'characters' imaginable with the exception of Dame Maggie Smith. Utter dross.

I find it completely incredulous that so many reviewers are drooling over this garbage. I'm a Brit BTW, so I have no inherent reason to dislike the show, as some Americans might.

My wife (an American) and I watched one full episode. We easily concluded this was a great show to watch if you need some TV to bore you to death before falling asleep for the night.

This how had absolutely ZERO redeeming qualities. NO action, NO plot, NO reasonable activity, etc. Just rank crap!

Stay away, unless you love being bored to tears. Watching this show is akin to staying in solitary confinement.....

Dr. Harvey Kindle

This period drama television series is slow and boring. I can't understand how this manages to gain millions of viewers in the United Kingdom.

Even more puzzling than its success in the UK is its large following in the United States - it must be like another world to Americans, so I don't see how it appeals to them.

I tried to watch the first episode with my family after my aunt and cousin told me I had to because "it's absolutely the best show ever". It's absolutely Not ! It's the most boring show I have ever watched, none of the actors cannot act at all, they all have the same expression on their face the entire time I want to smack it off of them it was incredibly annoying. I fell asleep in less than 10 min of the show, and now I have absolutely no intention or interest in watching Downtown Abbey ever again, it's very dull and boring.

A lot people like wacthing boring TV shows I am not one of them sorry. come on now 10 for the total crap. This show has story lines that are awful. It is a slow boring show with no point to it other then to be really boring

I must admit that the 1st thing that attracted me to this series was the theme music. A splendid rendering of magnificence and descending glory.

Then it comes as no surprise that the theme of the whole show is thusly.

Of course the writer is merely transcribing the descent of the English upper classes. However my personal "gut" feeling is that these kinds of events occurred even in their (upper classes) ascent.

Therefore this rose tinted exposition of the fancifully illustrated decline of the upper classes masqueraded as inevitable result of a more cognizant society tries ones patience to the point of breakage...

but apparently box office success for this pap is assured.

I suffered through the first season because someone else wanted to watch it. I have no idea what anyone sees in this show or why it is rated so highly. This series is very dreary. No one **EVER** smiles, and all the characters seem to be unhappy with their lives.

If watching a soap opera about stuffy English aristocracy is your thing, then you might enjoy it. If you want a show with substance, and characters that don't seem like they hate their lives, then avoid it all costs.

*Maybe* the costuming is great, but since I don't care about fashion, what do I know? It is certainly not a reason to make the show worth watching.

I read the good reviews and thought to myself that at least I have a good show to binge on.

Omggg I was mistaken I struggled to finish a few episodes of season 1. It's incredibly slow paced and the storyline is actually boring If I could give it a zero i definitely would.

Maybe it's just me...but i honestly don't understand why anyone would want to watch this!!

Most of my reasons for not liking this show...are probably not objective...and are more about preference than anything else...so to start...i absolutely hate despise and loathe the accent...that upper class English accent is soo monumentally annoying i want to pour acid right down my ears as soon as any character opens their mouth...

this is probably the same reason why i didn't particularly like the crown either...also...how are we to get invested in non-issues like etiquette and manners and how someone should talk and sit and shake hands and cross their legs...oh my God!!...and that is like a quarter of the plot!!...nonsense!!

Also...the TELLING of the story is pathetic...the structure...granted the visuals are amazing...great cinematography...but bad food on nice plates is pointless...the dreamy fantastical soundtracks and background tones and music is nauseating...i wonder why CW didn't jump at the chance to make this...

to sum it up...this is nonsense...no story no plot...absolutely not worth watching...a complete and total waste of time...

I do not really understand at all what the crew were thinking or trying to do when they were creating this series. This series was confusing and disappointing. The storyline throughout this entire was basic and straightforward and did not have any real direction at all. The cast selection throughout this series could have been a lot better and stronger. They did not all commit nor connect to the storyline nor to their respective characters. There was not a sign of real chemistry throughout this series between the cast members. This series could have been a lot better and stronger if the crew had added some extra effort and strength.