Plot Synopsis

DOWNTON ABBEY depicts the lives of the noble Crawley family and the staff who serve them, set at their Edwardian country house in the early 1900s. The story begins when the Titanic goes down on April, 15, 1912. Lord Grantham loses his immediate heirs and his daughter Mary loses her fiance, throwing Downton Abbey and its servants into turmoil. Season 2 resumes its story of love and intrigue at this English country estate. It's now November 1916, and the country is mobilized for the trauma of war. Matthew is on the frontlines and is wounded in France in mid 1918, returning to the estate unable to walk. Six months later, after Matthew was growing accustomed to his conditions, he unexpectedly rose from his chair. Now recovering, Matthew is prepared to marry Lavinia, since she was willing to stand by him, but Lavinia succumbs to the flu and dies. During Christmas 1919, Lady Mary leaves her fiance, and she and Matthew are now free to be together. Season 3 opens as the Great War ends and the long-awaited engagement of Lady Mary and Matthew is on, but wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises continue to grip the people associated with the majestic English country estate. Plus, Shirley MacLaine joined the cast in Season 3, portraying Martha Levinson, the very American mother of Cora, Countess of Grantham. PBS aired DOWNTON ABBEY on Sundays at 9pm ET as part of its MASTERPIECE CLASSIC series, showing the U.S. premieres of Season 1 (Jan 9, 2011), Season 2 (Jan 8, 2012) and Season 3 (Jan 6, 2013) in early January of consecutive years.

PBS aired the U.S. premiere of Season 4 on Sunday, January 5, 2014 from 9-11pm ET/PT. The new season picked up six months after Matthew's shocking death, as family and servants tried to cure Mary and Isobel of their deep depression. Plus, O'Brien caused a final crisis. As the season progressed, three generations of the Crawley family had conflicting interests in the estate, while the fates of several characters converged on a house party. New characters for Season 4 included: Cora's playboy brother, Harold (Paul Giamatti), who appeared in the season finale; Violet's old friend Lady Shackleton (Dame Harriet Walter); the Duchess of Yeovil (Joanna David); the dashing Lord Gillingham (Tom Cullen); jazz singer Jack Ross (Gary Carr); and many more.

On Sunday, January 4, 2015, PBS aired the U.S. premiere of the fifth season of DOWNTON ABBEY, which picks up in 1924. The United Kingdom has its first Labor Party prime minister. The radio is the latest miracle of the age. And Downton's traditional ways are besieged on all fronts. Plus, viewers can expect to follow plot threads left dangling from last season, including Lady Mary's courtship contest, Lady Edith's trials as a secret single mom, Thomas's scheming against Bates, Robert's battles against modernity, Tom's quest to be true to his ideals, Violet's one-line zingers, and much, much more.

PBS broadcast the U.S. premiere of the sixth and final season of DOWNTON ABBEY on Sunday, January 3, 2016 from 9-10:30pm (check local listings), immediately following a one-hour special, "Countdown to Downton Abbey," from 8-9pm. Get ready for the sixth season with this new special, as Tony Award-winning host Kelli O'Hara counts down the moments till the final season begins, with cast and filmmaker interviews celebrating the global impact of the series. Then, Season 6 opens in 1925 with a series of crises reflecting the momentous changes that are transforming society. Women's rights have given Lady Mary and Lady Edith new positions of responsibility: Mary runs the estate, and Edith manages the magazine she inherited from Michael Gregson. Meanwhile, Tom Branson has left for Boston, and newlyweds Lady Rose and Atticus Aldridge are trying their luck in Jazz Age New York. Anna Bates faces a murder charge, though many still suspect her husband. And for the rest of the servants, big doubts hang over their jobs. Will great houses and the fortunes that support them soon be gone?
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On Thursday, September 19, 2019 from 8-9pm ET/PT, NBC premiered RETURN TO DOWNTON ABBEY: A GRAND EVENT. In this one-hour special, the cast of DOWNTON ABBEY joins Derek Hough in the historic Highclere Castle in England to speak about the groundbreaking series leading up to the theatrical world premiere of the DOWNTON ABBEY film late night the same night. In addition, celebrities share their DOWNTON obsession and talk about what made the show so addictive. The film, a continuation of the story in the series, is written by Juian Fellowes and directed by Michael Engler.