Then you go "Downton"...

Confession - Up until this Christmas break, I had not watched a single episode of PBS's Downton Abbey. (Gasp!) However, with all of my sporadic online Christmas shopping, I needed an item to put me over the free shipping limit one time at Barnes and Noble online. So, as it turns out, Downton Abbey Season 1 was on sale, and it sounded good to me.

When it arrived at my apartment, I quickly placed it in my "pack-for-home" pile, and within less than 48 hours after getting to Florida, my sister and I had watched the entire first season. Alas, I had not purchased Season 2...but we were not about to be beat. No. Instead, we "suffered" through the second season on VHS (we don't have DVR) tapes with poor tracking. (But it was worth it!)

And, just like that, I was caught up and ready for the start of Season 3. In fact, my family and I braved some terrible traffic (and rain, to boot) to attend a special preview of the first episode (of Season 3) at the Tampa Theatre tonight (because we obviously just couldn't wait until Sunday's premiere).

Pardon my 'British', but it was bloody good. And I hear tell (from sources whom will remain unnamed) that it just keeps getting better but it takes you on emotional rollercoaster. (Better brace ourselves.)

This show that is sweeping the country (well, in all fairness, it swept England first) has swept me up as well - I fully and whole-heartedly admit it. (I even pre-ordered Season 3. Yep, I sure did.)

But it's got me thinking...What makes a series (or a movie or book, for that matter) such a phenomenon? What makes a show a smash?

1. Complex Characters - In order for an audience to care, characters need to have depth. Each one needs a story, a moral code, things that make him/her tick. Downton Abbey certainly achieves that for every character, both upstairs and down. The audience roots for Anna and Mr. Bates, despises Thomas's motives, chuckles at Lady Grantham's jabs. Never is there a dull moment!

2. Complicated Love Story(ies) - Lady Mary and Matthew Crawley, Anna and Mr. Bates, Lady Sybil and Tom Branson...if you think about it, none of these relationships was realized easily. I love you. I hate you. I'm not allowed to love you. I'm not free to love you. I'm not supposed to tell you I love you. AAH! It's enough to make you crazy. Will they get together or won't they? Seriously, some new love angle comes up each episode, and, as someone heavily invested in the characters (see #1), how can you not be glued to the telly?

   

3. Quality Humor - Sometimes I feel the humor is so fast that we audience members react about 5 seconds too late, as it usually takes that lag of time for our brains to register what the characters just said. (Maybe British people are just more quick-witted. Or else they are used to the verbal thrust and parry. You can come to your own conclusions.) Maggie Smith (Lady Grantham, in the show) takes the cake, in my opinion; although, many of the others are not far behind. (Sometimes I think I end up laughing when Maggie Smith's character opens her mouth because I just expect some sort of dry humor to come out.)

4. Grand Costumes and Setting - Everything "upstairs" at Downton is fancy and lavish, to say the least. I can't imagine living among such finery or changing outfits three or four (or more) times a day. But it sure is fun to watch somebody else live in such a manner. I think that glimpse into the lives of the rich is something that usually grabs people's attention. (Otherwise, I honestly don't know how people's fascination with shows like Desperate Housewives could be reasonably explained.)

5. Both Predictable and Unpredictable Plot Twists - They had to kill off Lavinia. Cora had to lose the baby (who would have been the heir). Some things were totally "call-able." But other twists came out of nowhere. I think that balance of having a sense of what's going to happen at some times and at other times being completely blindsided is definitely a quality that can keep an audience coming back for more. As a viewer, it is nice to have a feeling that you know characters well enough to predict their actions or that you know the show well enough to think you are one step ahead of the writers. However, when things happen to slap you in the face, you are humbled by the show's creativity. Right-O.

There are likely other qualities/characteristics/call-them-what-you-wills that endear a story to audiences of all ages, but for now I will settle for these. (Feel free to agree or disagree, but I remain pretty convinced by these aspects.)

Lastly, if you are hooked on Downton Abbey (odds are you either are or will be), you can see if you are "Down with Downton" at NPR's quiz by clicking here.