Downton Abbey--Upstairs/Downstairs, Stiff Upper Lips, and Tea!

[4rkidz]

I LOVED Pillars of the Earth and its sequel, World Without End. It made me sad that no one on the internet seemed to know it existed so I could chat about it! Both had some pretty big stars, too - Matthew Mcfayden, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell in PotE, and Cynthia Nixon, Miranda Richardson, Ben Chaplin in WWE.

I have read the books.. absolutely loved them especially the first one..

[jlai]

World without End is now available on Netflix online streaming (planning to watch as soon as there's someone to watch with me)

[Japanfan]

I LOVED Pillars of the Earth and its sequel, World Without End. It made me sad that no one on the internet seemed to know it existed so I could chat about it! Both had some pretty big stars, too - Matthew Mcfayden, Rufus Sewell, Ian McShane, Eddie Redmayne, Hayley Atwell in PotE, and Cynthia Nixon, Miranda Richardson, Ben Chaplin in WWE.

I loved them both as well and reread Pillars before reading World Without End. Follett always has to insert his (rather juvenile, IMO) sexual fantasies into his books, but he was rather restrained in these stories, which were so good that the fantasies were easily forgiven.

But I'm not sure how widely the series was aired in the US and Europe. I thought it was too short to really do the book justice, IMO the book warranted double the episodes.

Japanfan--have you also seen 'The Tudors'?

No, because I usually watch series with Mr. Japanfan and he's resistant to the Tudors. Given the recommendations here, perhaps I should suggest it to him again.

And I don't understand why 'Downton Abbey' isn't suitable for Masterpiece Theater at all or isn't high class. It's a lavish production of a period piece, is very well-written, and features an exceptional ensemble cast. The story and the characters are engaging and draw you in, and the characters are well-developed and multi dimensional.

That's high class enough for me.

[skatesindreams]

I don't understand why 'Downton Abbey' isn't suitable for Masterpiece Theater at all or isn't high class. It's a lavish production of a period piece, is very well-written, and features an exceptional ensemble cast. The story and the characters are engaging and draw you in, and the characters are well-developed and multi dimensional.

That's high class enough for me.

I'm with you!

I don't understand what some of the "FSU Critic's Circle" expect.
I've watched, learned from, and enjoyed "Masterpiece Theatre" since it first appeared, 40 years ago,

[danceronice]

No, because I usually watch series with Mr. Japanfan and he's resistant to the Tudors. Given the recommendations here, perhaps I should suggest it to him again.

As long as he's good with some pretty explicit stuff, he should be fine. Though I note a weird tendency--"The Tudors"/Showtime isn't shy about female nudity, but they're DEFINITELY not doing male full-frontal like "Rome"/HBO.

I think fewer people are aware of/saw "Pillars of the Earth" in the US because it ran on Starz, a pay channel that I don't think is as popular or widely subscribed as HBO and Showtime, and with "World Without End" it ran on, IIRC, Reelz, which I don't think you get unless you're a DirecTV customer (though I've only had DirecTV for years so I don't know what's on Dish or cable.) Also, I think, to indulge in some TV Tropes-speak, it sometimes slips a bit too far over the line from Medieval costume drama into the Dung Ages (though not even CLOSE to how accurately that's done in the film of "The Name of the Rose") and has a few too many people who appear to be evil For the Evulz (ie with no obvious motivation or redeeming qualities.) The advertising for "World Without End" also lead one to believe seeing "Pillars of the Earth" would help, but since it had run on another channel...

And I agree with you and skatesindreams, I have no problem whatsoever having Downton on Masterpiece. It's not any more melodramatic than "I, Claudius" or "The Pallisers" or the original "Upstairs Downstairs" (never mind the sequel). I mean, what, does it have to be that incomprehensible depressing mess "South Riding" to be "worthy", or veering towards aggressively quaint like "Lark Rise to Candleford"?

[Bev Johnston]

As long as he's good with some pretty explicit stuff, he should be fine. Though I note a weird tendency--"The Tudors"/Showtime isn't shy about female nudity, but they're DEFINITELY not doing male full-frontal like "Rome"/HBO.

I was just going to post that as long as Mr. Japanfan is okay with gratuitous female nudity, then he'll probably be okay with The Tudors. I think that's the producer's secret plot to draw men into watching The Tudors with their wives/girlfriends.

[vesperholly]

But I'm not sure how widely the series was aired in the US and Europe. I thought it was too short to really do the book justice, IMO the book warranted double the episodes.

And they changed the story quite a lot in World Without End. I thought the changes worked, except they dropped the ball on showing us how Merthin, Caris, Gwenda and Ralph were connected other than just living in the same town.

Maybe the objection to "Masterpiece Theater" is that it should be reserved for BBC-style films of classic books like Austen and Dickens, not modern-day-written soap operas in period costumes? Not sure what else they'd call DA, though maybe they don't even need to call it anything.

[skatingfan5]

Maybe the objection to "Masterpiece Theater" is that it should be reserved for BBC-style films of classic books like Austen and Dickens, not modern-day-written soap operas in period costumes?

But the PBS "Masterpiece" franchise has always had a variety of series, not all of them from the so-called "classic" canon. The Duchess of Duke Street wasn't "classic" literature -- it was made-for-TV as was Upstairs, Downstairs, and any other number of programs.

Not sure what else they'd call DA, though maybe they don't even need to call it anything.

Well, PBS does have their identified programming "slots" so I think that they want to call it something.

[Japanfan]

And they changed the story quite a lot in World Without End. I thought the changes worked, except they dropped the ball on showing us how Merthin, Caris, Gwenda and Ralph were connected other than just living in the same town.

I didn't even know they had produce World Without End for TV. Pillars ran on Canadian public TV, not a pay channel, last fall. Did the same producers do World Without End?

[Artemis@BC]

I didn't even know they had produce World Without End for TV. Pillars ran on Canadian public TV, not a pay channel, last fall. Did the same producers do World Without End?

Same producers I believe.

World without End aired in Canada on Showcase (I think) this past fall IIRC. I personally wasn't impressed, didn't get past the 2nd episode. But then I found the book of WWE to be a complete rehash of Pillars ...

[danceronice]

I was just going to post that as long as Mr. Japanfan is okay with gratuitous female nudity, then he'll probably be okay with The Tudors. I think that's the producer's secret plot to draw men into watching The Tudors with their wives/girlfriends.

Meanwhile over on HBO they have NO hesitation about making the men strip. James Purefoy even joked he wished he'd been allowed to wear more clothes as he always seemed to spend 3/4 of any given episode of Rome naked.

[Finnice]

Season three ended yesterday here in Finland. I watched the second part of the Christmas Special in high fever and stomach flu. The ending did not make me feel better.


I have loved this series, but now I am not so sure... The new episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs will start here next week.

[danceronice]

Season three ended yesterday here in Finland. I watched the second part of the Christmas Special in high fever and stomach flu. The ending did not make me feel better.


I have loved this series, but now I am not so sure... The new episodes of Upstairs, Downstairs will start here next week.

Series 2 of UD? Um...I do hope you're over the flu. Remember how series 1 was a lot darker than Downton? Well, even allowing for Downton series 3? The situation has not improved. (Though I AM, in spite of myself, a tad annoyed that they won't get a UD series 3 because a few things get left hanging.)

[ioana]

I think one of the reasons why certain shows are shown on Masterpiece in the US and some are not has to do with the funding money. A lot of the long-running series are partly funded by American PBS money and that means they never have to outright buy the broadcasting rights -or at the very least, it's a lot cheaper than buying a series they never funded. I am watching the Hollow Crown series BBC showed during their Cultural Olympiad on you tube and love it. But I don't think there's much chance of it ever being shown on PBS, or elsewhere on US tv.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A89wTSJ_j8g

Sorry about the slight tangent, back to DA....

[nursebetty]

What happens to Bate? I'm feeling a little iffy this season. Sounds like 2 of my favorites will be leaving[QUOTE] Thomas gets on my nerves. I'll stop there.

[Latte]

My faith in Bates never wavered -- that is, my faith in his being innocent didn't. I was/am a bit afraid that he might get into deeper trouble from some prison fight, though. Brendan Coyle is a marvelous as Bates, in my (easily pleased) opinion.

Actually, I have always thought that he may just be quilty!

[vesperholly]

Series 2 of UD? Um...I do hope you're over the flu. Remember how series 1 was a lot darker than Downton? Well, even allowing for Downton series 3? The situation has not improved. (Though I AM, in spite of myself, a tad annoyed that they won't get a UD series 3 because a few things get left hanging.)

I LOVED the reboot of UD - Season 1 was a bit of a DA ripoff, but Season 2 knocks it out of the park. The characters and storylines are 10x more interesting.

[Yehudi]

I got the complete series DVD set for Christmas...have GORGED on "The Tudors." I think my favorite is series 3-Sarah Bolger is great as Mary and I enjoy watching Cromwell slide towards his appointment with the headsman (though it's a testament to James Frain's acting while I can't stand the character I still feel bad for him). And the costumes! I love costume dramas, though Downton moving into the twenties means it's in a period where I'm not really enamored of the clothes.

The Tudors also gave as Colin O'Donoghue, who now plays Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time. In fact, pretty much everyone in the Tudors is now in some more recognizable property with two of the actors even being in Downton Abbey (Vera Bates is played by the fabulous Maria Doyle Kennedy who was Catherine of Aragon and Branson is played by Allen Leech who played Francis Dereham).

BTW, my roommates and I are having a small DA viewing party tonight. Any idea what we could eat besides tea and cucumber sandwiches?

[Reuven]

crumpets, clotted cream, scones

[danceronice]

The Tudors also gave as Colin O'Donoghue, who now plays Captain Hook on Once Upon a Time. In fact, pretty much everyone in the Tudors is now in some more recognizable property with two of the actors even being in Downton Abbey (Vera Bates is played by the fabulous Maria Doyle Kennedy who was Catherine of Aragon and Branson is played by Allen Leech who played Francis Dereham).

At least in Downton poor Allan Leech breaks his streak of playing the guy after an inappropriate woman who does not get the girl. (He was also Marcus Vipsanius Agrippa and in love with Octavia on HBO's "Rome.") It's a weirdly specific sort of typecasting.