Ludicrous storylines, underdeveloped plots and hammy dialogue have characterised this series. Has it been warped genius? What are we to make of Downton Abbey? Over the past few weeks ITV’s costume drama “masterpiece” (cough) has morphed into a very different beast. A beast that lives on a farm, goes...
Misfits … you begin to care about the characters. Photograph: Todd Anthony The weird dude who hands out the superpowers to the community service kids in Misfits (E4, Sunday) is having to be quite imaginative, given that this is now the start of series three, and they require new powers. So Kelly becomes a...
So this series of Spooks (BBC1, Sunday) came to an end. And what an end. It was like the climax of an indulgent 70s heavy metal track, all banging drums and screaming guitars, licks and twists, and you think that’s it, but then there’s a bit more, all turned up to 11. A plane...
Downton Abbey’s second series has had its wobbles – clunky dialogue, anyone? – but it can still come good. Photograph: Nick Briggs/Carnival Films Oh Downton. What went wrong? The first series brought critical acclaim, more than 11 million viewers, three BAFTAs and six Emmys – so why is the second series of Downton Abbey,...
Downton Abbey: Iain Glen as Sir Richard Carlisle. Photograph: Photograph Nick Briggs. +44(0)20/ITV Viv Groskop’s episode one blog “The world does not turn on the style of a dinner.” “My world does.” Carson always tells it like it is – and how his world is imploding. Soon someone will walk across Downton’s sweeping driveway...
Emmy awards 2011 winner Kate Winslet holds the trophy for her lead role in Mildred Pierce. Photograph: Mark J Terrill/AP The 1950s drama Mad Men and a firmly 21st century comedy, Modern Family, won the top drama and comedy prizes at the Emmy Awards, with the British period piece Downton Abbey enjoying unexpected success....
Downton Abbey (left) and Spooks. Photograph: ITV/BBC I’ve always thought of Sunday as the perfect television night – that brief pause between weekend and work, when the sofa seems particularly seductive. And this weekend things are really looking up with both Downton Abbey and Spooks returning for new series in the 9pm slot, and...
Viv Groskop: The second series of Downton Abbey begins on Sunday – find out if you would be upstairs or downstairs with our quiz Viv Groskop
