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Downton Abbey

Downton Abbey

2010–2015Ended6 seasons52 episodes~60 min/epTV-PGMidcredits score: 98th percentile of all shows

A chronicle of the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the post-Edwardian era—with great events in history having an effect on their lives and on the British social hierarchy.

Your rating, lists and review

Where to watch

Where can I watch Downton Abbey?

As of October 24, 2026, MovieCove lists Downton Abbey streaming on BritBox, PBS Masterpiece via Prime Video, Peacock and Prime Video and to rent or buy on Apple TV and Prime Video.

Subscription

via Prime Video

Rent / Buy

BuyBuy

Highlights

What stands out about Downton Abbey?

Downton Abbey earns 10 badges, led by Modern classic and Top 5% of shows.

Show 2 more
  • Rank
  • Reception
  • Craft and mood
  • Cast

Reception

Is Downton Abbey worth watching?

Downton Abbey's Midcredits score is the 98th percentile of all shows, from 251K ratings across 2 sources. 93% liked it (rated it 7 or higher out of 10).

Midcredits score

How well it was received

98th percentile

Better received than 98% of shows

98th percentile among Drama98th percentile among 2010s
Acclaim (how much people like it)96th
Approval (how many liked it)97th

Acclaim

Universally Loved: Rating-distribution shape vs the catalog

How much people like it

85 /100

96th percentile of all shows

97th percentile among Drama96th percentile among 2010s

Rating distribution

Ratings pile up at 9–10 with almost no detractors — near-universal love.

Approval

How many liked it

93% liked it

97th percentile of all shows

97th percentile among Drama97th percentile among 2010s
93% rated it 7–107% rated it 1–6

Reach

How many have seen it

99th percentile

250K ratings across platforms

99th percentile among Drama99th percentile among 2010s
TMDB popularity, last 37 days to Oct 26Up 17% in 30 days

What reviewers say

Common ground

Downton Abbey is a beautifully produced period soap opera with high production values.

Fans praised

  • Maggie Smith's performance as the Dowager Countess
  • Lavish period costumes and production design
  • Ensemble cast and character development

Detractors panned

  • Soap opera contrivances and implausible plots
  • Historically sanitized view of class relations
  • One-dimensional characterizations

What stands out

Cinematography92

Beautiful camerawork, lush scenery, Highclere Castle

ActingDivisive90

Maggie Smith's scene-stealing, ensemble praised across camps

Atmosphere90

Immersive period world-building

DialogueDivisive80

Witty one-liners, especially for Violet

CharactersDivisive75

Well-developed arcs (fans) vs cardboard stereotypes (detractors)

Emotional impactDivisive75

Tearjerker deaths and romances

Plot and storyDivisive55

Engaging family saga (fans) vs predictable soap contrivance (detractors)

OriginalityDivisive35

Derivative of Upstairs Downstairs and Gosford Park

Preferred by

Under-30s vs over-30s

Preferred by Over-30s

Over-30s scored it 16 points higher than under-30s.

No notable difference between the other groups: each pair ranks it within 10 percentile points.

  • Women vs men 6 points apart
  • Critics vs users 1 point apart
  • US vs non-US 3 points apart

Episodes

6 seasons

Series 6 · 2015 · 8 episodes · 7.6 average across 8 rated episodes

  • S6E1

    Episode 1

    Sep 20, 201569 minTMDB rating 7.3
  • S6E2

    Episode 2

    Sep 27, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.1
  • S6E3

    Episode 3

    Oct 4, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.5
  • S6E4

    Episode 4

    Oct 11, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.6
  • S6E5

    Episode 5

    Oct 18, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.7
  • S6E6

    Episode 6

    Oct 25, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.7
  • S6E7

    Episode 7

    Nov 1, 201549 minTMDB rating 7.8
  • S6E8

    Episode 8

    Nov 8, 201575 minTMDB rating 8.0FinaleSeason best

Watch experience

What is Downton Abbey like to watch?

Conclusions only — categories and positions, no plot detail.

Earnest, light and charged — an even-paced watch that leaves you bittersweet.

ToneFeelDemandexact position · filled zone: the category

What it asks of you

What it feels like

Moods
WarmBittersweetRomantic
Heaviest: late
Wry humor: Amused and slightly dry about it.
Register
WarmWry · 7% of shows: Amused and slightly dry about it.Sentimental · 4% of shows
Told as
Case of the week plus an arcOne continuous story
ToneThe show plays its material straight with affection for its characters, balancing heartfelt drama with dry, knowing wit.
The rideThe series maintains a cozy, warm register punctuated by romantic and bittersweet turns, with emotional weight concentrated in the final two seasons as major characters face change and loss.
StructureThe series is told in a conventional chronological order with no structural devices.
Episode formatEach episode features self-contained events (visits, scandals, minor crises) that contribute to season-long arcs such as Mary's suitors, the war, or the estate's finances.
Season formatEach season continues the same story and set of characters, with time advancing from 1912 to 1925 across the six seasons.

How it leaves you

what you carry away
BittersweetWistful · 6% of shows
Why it leaves you this wayThe show leaves a warm, slightly melancholic fondness for its characters and the vanished world they inhabit.
How it ends · evidence
Bittersweet ending

Story archetype

where it sits among all shows
Monster — 18% of shows. A threat menaces the hero's world and must be defeated.Rags — 3% of shows. A rise from lowliness to fortune, status, or recognition.Quest — 6% of shows. A journey toward a defined objective, with companions and obstacles.Voyage — 2% of shows. Into a strange world and back again, changed.Comedy — 12% of shows. Confusion and cross-purposes resolved into harmony.Tragedy — 4% of shows. A flaw or fixation drives the protagonist to ruin.Rebirth — 7% of shows. A stalled or darkened life reopened and renewed.Mystery — 8% of shows. A question drives the story — who did it, what happened, what is real — until it is answered.No archetype — 40% of showsPredator — 7% of shows. A creature or killer hunts the protagonists (Jaws, Alien).Tyrant — 3% of shows. A human villain holds power over the hero's world (Die Hard).Invasion — 2% of shows. An external force attacks the home or world (Independence Day).Oppressive state — 3% of shows. A government, its agencies or a secret faction inside them is the monster (V for Vendetta).Corporate villainy — 1% of shows. A company or its bosses are the monster (Erin Brockovich).Institutional injustice — 1% of shows. A court, prison, police force, school or church is itself the enemy (Spotlight).Class system — under 1% of shows. The gap between rich and poor, or a rigid hierarchy, is the monster (Parasite).Technology turns — under 1% of shows. Technology people rely on becomes the threat (The Terminator).Inner demon — 1% of shows. The monster is within — addiction, illness, a dark double.Underdog triumph — 2% of shows. Rise through competition or contest (Rocky).Social ascent — 1% of shows. A climb in class or status (Pretty Woman).Fame and fortune — under 1% of shows. An artistic or showbiz rise (A Star Is Born).Rise and fall — under 1% of shows. Wealth or power gained, self lost (Scarface).Hidden worth revealed — under 1% of shows. The protagonist's true value finally recognized.Treasure hunt — 1% of shows. Retrieve an object of value (Raiders of the Lost Ark).Rescue — 2% of shows. Retrieve or save a person (Saving Private Ryan).Mission — 4% of shows. Accomplish or destroy a defined objective (Mission: Impossible).Journey home — under 1% of shows. The goal is getting back (Finding Nemo).Pilgrimage — under 1% of shows. The journey itself transforms; the destination is symbolic.Portal fantasy — under 1% of shows. Transported into another world (The Wizard of Oz).Fish out of water — 1% of shows. Displaced into an unfamiliar social world (Elf).Survival ordeal — under 1% of shows. Trapped in a hostile environment, fighting back (Cast Away).Time displacement — under 1% of shows. Unstuck in time (Back to the Future).Descent — under 1% of shows. A night-journey into an underworld or subculture (After Hours).Romantic comedy — 2% of shows. Lovers kept apart by confusion, united at last.Comedy of errors — 3% of shows. Mistaken identity or misunderstanding drives the plot.Farce — 2% of shows. Escalating absurd chaos and coincidence (The Hangover).Buddy comedy — 1% of shows. A mismatched pair forced together (Rush Hour).Comedy of manners — 2% of shows. Social codes and class satirized (Clueless).Hubris — 1% of shows. Pride or ambition invites the fall (There Will Be Blood).Obsession — under 1% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Corruption arc — 1% of shows. Step-by-step moral decay (The Godfather).Doomed love — 1% of shows. Love destroyed by circumstance (Brokeback Mountain).Crushed by fate — 1% of shows. Destroyed by forces beyond the protagonist's control.Redemption — 1% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Healing — 3% of shows. Recovery from grief or trauma (Good Will Hunting).Liberation — 2% of shows. Breaking free of a confining life (Room).Second chance — 1% of shows. A stagnant life re-opened to love or purpose (Groundhog Day).Puzzle — 1% of shows. A clue-by-clue puzzle you can try to solve before the reveal (Knives Out, Clue).Investigation — 6% of shows. A long pursuit of the truth that may never be fully solved (Zodiac, Memories of Murder).Enigma — 1% of shows. The mystery is what is real, or what is actually happening (Mulholland Drive).
Every story archetype, clockwise from the top
  • Monster 18%: Predator 7% · Tyrant 3% · Invasion 2% · Oppressive state 3% · Corporate villainy 1% · Institutional injustice 1% · Class system under 1% · Technology turns under 1% · Inner demon 1%
  • Rags 3%: Underdog triumph 2% · Social ascent 1% · Fame and fortune under 1% · Rise and fall under 1% · Hidden worth revealed under 1%
  • Quest 6%: Treasure hunt 1% · Rescue 2% · Mission 4% · Journey home under 1% · Pilgrimage under 1%
  • Voyage 2%: Portal fantasy under 1% · Fish out of water 1% · Survival ordeal under 1% · Time displacement under 1% · Descent under 1%
  • Comedy 12%: Romantic comedy 2% · Comedy of errors 3% · Farce 2% · Buddy comedy 1% · Comedy of manners 2%
  • Tragedy 4%: Hubris 1% · Obsession under 1% · Corruption arc 1% · Doomed love 1% · Crushed by fate 1%
  • Rebirth 7%: Redemption 1% · Healing 3% · Liberation 2% · Second chance 1%
  • Mystery 8%: Puzzle 1% · Investigation 6% · Enigma 1%
  • No archetype 40% (this title)

No archetype fits — true of 40% of shows: ensemble pieces, satire, slice-of-life.

Why this archetypeThe show is an ensemble character drama following the lives of an aristocratic family and their servants; typical episodes weave multiple relationship and social storylines without a single central plot archetype.

What it's about

7 groups · 53 themes
Bonds — 31% of showsSelf — 27% of showsPower — 7% of showsMorality — 11% of showsSurvival — 9% of showsSociety — 10% of showsIdeas — 5% of showsRomantic love — 10% of showsMarriage — 2% of showsFamily bonds — 22% of showsParenthood — 1% of showsFriendship — 18% of showsLoyalty — 7% of showsIdentity — 20% of showsComing of age — 9% of showsAging — under 1% of showsSelf-worth — 7% of showsAmbition — 14% of showsPurpose — 16% of showsMemory — 3% of showsObsession — 2% of shows. A fixation consumes the protagonist (Black Swan).Power — 5% of showsCorruption — 3% of showsGreed — 2% of showsClass — 4% of showsOppression — 2% of showsFreedom — 4% of showsJustice — 14% of showsDuty — 2% of showsRevenge — 1% of showsGuilt — 1% of showsRedemption — 3% of shows. Moral reawakening of a hardened soul (A Christmas Carol).Forgiveness — under 1% of showsSacrifice — 2% of showsBetrayal — 3% of showsDeception — 6% of showsSurvival — 12% of showsWar — 1% of showsViolence — 2% of showsMortality — 2% of showsGrief — 4% of showsTrauma — 5% of showsMental illness — under 1% of showsAddiction — under 1% of showsIllness and disability — under 1% of showsCommunity — 25% of shows. Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Isolation — 3% of showsPrejudice — 2% of showsDisplacement — 1% of showsFaith — 1% of showsTradition vs change — 3% of showsFame — 5% of showsLegacy — 3% of showsFate — 1% of showsFree will — under 1% of showsTruth — 6% of showsHope — 4% of showsNature — 3% of showsArt — 2% of showsTechnology — 1% of showsSelfFamilybonds
Every theme, clockwise from the top
  • Bonds 31% (this title): Romantic love 10% · Marriage 2% · Family bonds 22% (this title) · Parenthood 1% · Friendship 18% · Loyalty 7%
  • Self 27%: Identity 20% · Coming of age 9% · Aging under 1% · Self-worth 7% · Ambition 14% · Purpose 16% · Memory 3% · Obsession 2%
  • Power 7%: Power 5% · Corruption 3% · Greed 2% · Class 4% (this title) · Oppression 2% · Freedom 4%
  • Morality 11%: Justice 14% · Duty 2% · Revenge 1% · Guilt 1% · Redemption 3% · Forgiveness under 1% · Sacrifice 2% · Betrayal 3% · Deception 6%
  • Survival 9%: Survival 12% · War 1% · Violence 2% · Mortality 2% · Grief 4% · Trauma 5% · Mental illness under 1% · Addiction under 1% · Illness and disability under 1%
  • Society 10%: Community 25% · Isolation 3% · Prejudice 2% · Displacement 1% · Faith 1% · Tradition vs change 3% (this title) · Fame 5% · Legacy 3%
  • Ideas 5%: Fate 1% · Free will under 1% · Truth 6% · Hope 4% · Nature 3% · Art 2% · Technology 1%

Bonds

Family bondsClass · 4% of showsTradition vs change · 3% of shows
Observes its theme: Presents its theme neutrally, declining to judge.Community stakes: Consequences reach a town, institution or group.Ensemble lead
How it treats its themeThe series is fundamentally about the Crawley family and their servants, exploring how their bonds are tested by love, loss, and the social upheaval of the early 20th century.
StanceThe series observes the ties of family and class with affectionate neutrality, neither celebrating nor condemning the aristocracy's decline.

The world

Early 20th centuryDomesticRuralInstitutionalRealistic
Orchestral classicalSupportive music · original score · John Lunn
SettingDownton Abbey, a grand Yorkshire estate, 1912–1925
MusicThe sweeping, romantic score underscores the grandeur and emotional weight of life at Downton.

Content guide

Is Downton Abbey okay for kids?

TV-PG

Downton Abbey is rated TV-PG. As of October 3, 2026, Midcredits content scores put its violence at moderate (37/100), sexual content at moderate (39/100), language at mild (23/100), drug and alcohol content at mild (32/100) and frightening material at mild (31/100). Overall it is heavier than 43% of TV-PG shows.

Ratings in 28 other countries
  • UKPG
  • CanadaG
  • AustraliaM
  • Germany12
  • Ireland12
  • South Korea15
  • Brazil12
  • Austria16
  • Czechia18+
  • Denmark15
  • FinlandK16
  • Hungary16
  • IndiaU
  • LTN-14
  • MexicoB
  • MY18
  • Netherlands12
  • Norway18
  • PhilippinesPG
  • Poland16
  • Portugal12AP
  • ROAP
  • Russia18+
  • SingaporeM18
  • Spain7
  • SwedenFrån 15 år
  • Switzerland16
  • Türkiye13+
Overall
Mild · all five categories
Heavier than 17% of all showsHeavier than 43% of TV-PG shows
Violence & Gore
Moderate
typical for a TV-PG show
heavier than 53%
Sex & Nudity
Moderate · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-PG show
heavier than 74%
Profanity
Mild
typical for a TV-PG show
heavier than 33%
Alcohol & Drugs
Mild
typical for a TV-PG show
heavier than 57%
Frightening / Intense
Mild · audience split: No severity level holds a majority of voters
typical for a TV-PG show
heavier than 42%

Point along a line to see a well-known title at that level.

Nothing here is extreme. The strongest element is sexual content, heavier than 74% of TV-PG shows.

Source: Midcredits content scores, 0 (none) to 100 (severe) per category, with each standing ranked against other shows that have them.

What content warnings does Downton Abbey have?

Not screened for content warnings yet.

Cast and crew

Who is in Downton Abbey?

Cast

3 award-winning performances in the cast.

Hugh Bonneville
as Robert Crawley, Earl of Grantham
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Laura Carmichael
as Lady Edith Crawley
Screen debut: No prior film or television role.
Jim Carter
as Charles Carson
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.
Brendan Coyle
as John Bates
Career best: Their highest-reaching show role by billing, audience size and rating.
Michelle Dockery
as Lady Mary Crawley
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Joanne Froggatt
as Anna Bates
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.
Robert James-Collier
as Thomas Barrow
Veteran: 15 or more years in, with as much work as the typical long-career actor.
Phyllis Logan
as Mrs. Hughes
SAG win: Screen Actors Guild Award — Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Elizabeth McGovern
as Cora Crawley, Countess of Grantham
Sophie McShera
as Daisy Mason
Newcomer: A standing when this show came out that sits in the bottom quarter of working actors today.

More like this

What are shows like Downton Abbey?

TMDB's suggestions for shows like Downton Abbey include Upstairs, Downstairs (1971), Upstairs Downstairs (2010) and North & South (2004).

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1.3K other shows share the rarest tag below, kind of show: period drama. Each tag opens Browse with the shows that share it.