‘Downton Abbey’

Network: PBS

When: Sundays at 9 p.m.

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There’s nothing abnormal about a busy Empire Brewing Co. on a Saturday afternoon. Tables are filled to capacity. There’s no space left at the bar. Waiters slide armfuls of food through a thick crowd.

But this past Saturday, 30 people sat in a backroom with their eyes glued to two big-screen TVs, lost in the world of early 20^th century England after World War I.

‘Downton Abbey’ is a high-profile British import. While most England-based productions are quarantined to the BBC America channel, ‘Downton Abbey’ was picked up by PBS.  After a year of broadcast and a handful of Emmy Awards, the show’s following grew and WCNY decided to turn the season finale’s premiere into an event.

The room was at capacity for the screening, but Jim Aroune, the event’s coordinator and vice president of broadcasting, said he expected almost three times as many people. And watching the show, it’s easy to see why.

‘Downton Abbey’ is best described as the classiest soap opera ever devised. In essence, it follows the lives of both the high-class inhabitants of the titular abbey as well as the low-class dealings of their servants. As a period piece, it goes almost unmatched. The attention to detail in locales, costumes and sets would make any American producer envious.

A gorgeous show to look at, ‘Downton’ stays true to its soap status. Much of the plotting boils down to who’s dead, who’s together, who’s pregnant, how to keep these secrets from each other and why everyone is upset about it.

The entire atmosphere the show builds makes it worth watching. From its attention to detail right down to its performances, ‘Downton’ feels refreshingly authentic, especially in an era in which the over-sexualized and inaccurate’The Other Boleyn Girl’ is considered historical entertainment. And some performances make it a must see. Specifically, Maggie Smith’s turn as the Dowager Countess yields both some of the series’ best wit as well as some poignant bits about the weight of time and age.

As much as ‘Downton Abbey’ warrants all this praise, I could not watch it consistently. It is truly a fantastically assembled show, but I can’t feign excitement about all the passive aggression that silently drives most of the plot. One man at the screening even confided in me that the show moves ‘slower than a Russian novel.’ Certainly a well-crafted critique of a well-crafted show

But sitting in the backroom of Empire, one would have thought that a live studio audience was at a sitcom recording. Almost everyone crammed into the space had uproarious reactions to what might otherwise go unnoticed. There were gasps at plot revelations, applause for a marriage proposal and gut-busting laughter for one-liners and small character beats.

These were the show’s fans, and I found myself enjoying the show more as part of the collective. In the scattered world of TV that exists now, it’s an almost romantic idea to think of sharing the episodic experience with 30 other people. But it’s such a great feeling to know something so loved can be shared with friends. I may not be in love with ‘Downton,’ but I’m definitely in love with its people.

WCNY plans on hosting another ‘Downton Abbey’ screening in the fall. If you’re anywhere on the spectrum from casual viewer to Dowager Countess impersonator, I would highly recommend attending.

 

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Published on February 19, 2012 at 12:00 pm

Contact Jeff: [email protected]