Downton Abbey is a British-American television series coproduced by Carnival Films in the UK and WGBH Boston in the U.S. It is set on the fictional estate of Downton Abbey in the North Riding of Yorkshire, England, and features an ensemble cast. It was written principally by Julian Fellowes, who co-created it with Gareth Neame. It premiered on ITV on 26 September 2010 and on PBS on 9 January 2011. Reception of the programme was predominantly positive; ratings were extremely high for what is usually considered a "period" show, and the first series picked up a number of awards and nominations... after its initial run. It has subsequently become the most successful British costume drama since the 1981 television serial version of Brideshead Revisited, and in 2011 it entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the "most critically acclaimed English-language television show" for the year, becoming the first British show to be recognised as such by the Guinness Book of Records. The second series aired in autumn 2011 on ITV and in January 2012 on PBS. On 3 November 2011, ITV confirmed that a third series had been commissioned.
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| On the air: | September 26, 2010 |
| Network: | ITV HD, ITV1, UTV, STV, ITV |
| Producer: | Rebecca Eaton |