“Forgotten Hollywood”- Farewell to Downton Abbey…
Manny P. here…
Like all remarkable television programs, Downton Abbey was given a proper sendoff. 9.6 million viewers said goodbye to the most popular series in the PBS history. Lord Grantham might have remarked… Golly!
Since I’ve seen every episode during its six-season run, I have personal favorite characters: Tom Branson, Mrs. Patmore, Lady Edith, Isobel Crawley, Anna Bates, Mr. Molesley, and Dr. Clarkson. But, there is no denying, writer and creator Julian Fellowes provided appropriate screen time to each actor that graced the small screen, making Downton Abbey an international sensation. Fellowes and I share the same appreciation for minor roles, and his attention to detail was superb. And, wasn’t it marvelous to enjoy guest stars as esteemed as Shirley MacLaine and Paul Giamatti in support of Dame Maggie Smith, Hugh Bonneville, and Elizabeth McGovern.
Watching the last episode was bittersweet, much like the moments when M*A*S*H, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and Cheers offered their finale. I’ll have the same morose feeling when its time slot competitor, The Good Wife, also concludes later this Spring. Losing two fabulously written shows at the same time seems so unfair.
For their part, PBS representatives are suggesting Downton Abbey might return with a one-episode yearly special if Julian Fellowes can be convinced to continue to tell the story of Robert and Cora Crawley, and their upstairs-downstairs extended family, beyond 1926 as the United Kingdom approaches the tumultuous decades of the 1930s and 1940s. I believe the series is the most popular program since Star Trek left the airways, so there is chatter for a shelf life that may transcend its initial run. I’m quite confident some semblance of negotiations are going on.
One can only hope…
Until next time> “never forget”
This entry was posted on Monday, March 7th, 2016 at 12:00 am and is filed under Blog by Manny Pacheco. You can follow any comments to this post through the RSS 2.0 feed. Responses are currently closed, but you can trackback from your own site.
You must be logged in to post a comment.