Before Downton, There Was 165 Eaton Place

October 6, 2012 PBS Wisconsin Leave a Comment

Upstairs Downstairs, Season 2 premieres 8 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 7 on WPT.
It’s hard not to notice the similarities between Downton Abbey and Upstairs Downstairs. Both have extremely large casts. Both focus on tension between social classes. Both feature houses thrust into the turmoil of war (Downton in World War I, Upstairs in World War II). And both feature plenty of snarky dialogue – Just have a listen to Alex Kingston’s (Doctor Who, ER) character in this clip from the new season of Upstairs Downstairs.

But Upstairs Downstairs has the upper hand in that it set the formula for great drama decades ago with its original run in the 1970s. The series got a reboot last year in the form of a successful three-episode season which prompted work on a second longer season.

Watch the first season of Upstairs Downstairs.

Downton doesn’t return to WPT until Januray, but this weekend TV sets will be focused on Upstairs Downstairs Season 2 as the saga at 165 Eaton Place resumes. And with new characters upstairs and down, the lives of masters ans servants have never been so captivating.

Masterpiece downton abbey

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