Agree 100%. Uninspired writing needs sex and innuendo to get cheap laughs. Almost any line from DA could stand alone. The whole tone of the series spins a dream state. I often wish they would show two versions of a show or movie, one with all the cheap jokes and scenes removed for those of us who enjoy that. Bravo indeed to Downton Abbey and to PBS as well.

Amen to both notions, jimh!!! Downton Abbey is my absolutely all-time favorite program, and I cannot imagine a winter without it! It is always the perfect viewing option for those long, cold January/February Sunday nights, and such a treat after the hustle and bustle of the holidays! I look forward to it each and every year, and once the final episode of the season airs, it’s quite a letdown. While I sadly suspect we may be facing the end of the series, I certainly hope to the contrary. It is possible that all of this talk is merely a bargaining chip not only for Mr. Fellowes and his most precious program, but Dame Maggie, as well. Given she is a national treasure, she deserves every prerogative to make her tenure at Downton as lucrative as she can, particularly given her advancing age and formidable talent….this woman IS the heart of the show! I also think that perhaps her words were taken a bit out of context….it seems that she was simply stating the obvious….that her character was near to reaching her logical date of expiration, and as such, how much longer could she realistically survive??? All I know is that I want Downton to last as long as is feasible, whether in the form of prequel/sequel, a yearly Christmas special, or even feature film. And if that means we must be deprived of “The Gilded Age” on these shores, then so be it. No matter how fantastic it may be in theory, I cannot fathom that it could possibly surpass the quality of the original Downton , especially in the absence of a sublime muse like The Dowager Countess of Grantham, Lady Violet Crawley! Long may she live!

I wholeheartedly agree, Jimh!

Isn’t it interesting that despite the success of DA, which I think has shown there is an audience out there desperately craving the kind of programming it represents (good writing, good acting, not relying on cheap stunts, graphic violence, overt sexuality, etc.), we keep hearing, pretty much, from the U.S. networks that shows like that “can’t succeed” and they keep doing the same kind of programming they’ve been doing and that is gradually losing audiences.

Ditto for the daytime soaps specifically. I think DA is prime proof that there’s still an audience out there for what I would call “traditional soap,” and yet nobody’s tried that formula in at least two decades on daytime, in favor of gimmicky storytelling and cheap ratings stunts (that aren’t working–look at the ratings!). Go figure.

So true, @Michael not Fairman)!!! Downton manages to portray romance, relationships and all other aspects of life for both young and old with the greatest levels of gentility and good taste, and we cannot get enough it! Even the love scenes are always dealt with in a classy manner. And yet….look at the raunchy, trashy antics to which we are treated on American daytime drama to the obvious delight of a small, but most vocal minority here at this very website. No doubt they would be thrilled beyond belief were Edith to become a 3X3 unwed mother with plenty of “who’s the daddy” candidates, Mary and her next beau to share a snappy shag on Matthew’s grave, Robert and Cora to tease a three-way with Simon Bricker, Carson and Mrs. Hughes to get their freak on in her sweet, but simple, sitting room, Isobel and Lord Merton to suffer carpet burns after a vigorous roll on the sumptuous oriental rugs and of course, the Dowager Countess to loosen her corset and flash Spratt whilst swinging from her crystal chandeliers in the adulterous company of Prince Kuragin….or perhaps even a toy boy! Oh, the humanity! Of course, I say it all in jest, but it is merely my way of illustrating absurdity by being absurd.

Hello shay thank you for you’re “insider tip” which makes perfect selse to me.