A few days ago, I mentioned that Mr. Handsome and I had gotten into a new show and promised to write a post sharing the title. Did anyone guess Downton Abbey?
Mr. Handsome’s parents watched the series last year, and some of the other siblings did, as well. Everyone kept telling us how great it was (even Mr. Handsome’s father, which surprised us), so we finally decided to give it a try. And boy were they right. Downton Abbey is wonderfully produced, and the characterization and acting are phenomenal.
Unfortunately, we are almost finished with the last season, so I have to ask, do any of you have other recommendations for TV shows that are similar to Downton Abbey?
Aurora Gill
I enjoyed that series so much that when we went to England two years ago I made a point of visiting and touring Highclere Castle which is were it is filmed. I would highly recommend.
Ellie
I would love to tour Highclere Castle! Did they have a lot of memorabilia from the show?
Ellie
Aurora
Not from the show itself, but many rooms had large poster size pictures on easels showing a scene from the show set in that room.
Anonymous
We enjoy Call the Midwife
Karen
Yes! That’s a great one! I loved it, too!
Ellie
That’s a really popular one.
Anonymous
Make sure you watch the movie, too! I know there is a new show out called Belgravia from the same creator as Downton Abbey, but I don’t know if it’s airing in the US yet.
Ellie
Will do! We want to watch it soon. And Belgravia looks good.
Ellie
Anonymous
Did you ever watch Upstairs Downstairs? It is quite similar and came out in the 1970’s. The start of the series is better, in my opinion, later like a lot of series, it kind of loses the original quality and the viewer is left desperate for the quality to carry on but it just keeps getting more pathetic.
Ellie
My grandparents used to watch that show. Wonder if it’s available on modern streaming services.
Ellie
Anonymous
About Patricia Routleg in the Hetty Wainthropp BBC series. I watched all of those….terrific! But not historical drama.
Anonymous
I love that show. It’s one of my favorite series. In fact, I have the whole series on DVD.
Ellie
I added that to my list. Thank you. 🙂
Ellie
Anonymous
You have said before that you don’t like to watch TV shows or movies that have shall we say “scandalous” events. Downton Abbey certainly has its share of scandals. Shocked that you’d watch it.
Diana
I’m shocked that my eyes are still in my head after reading your comment {eyeroll}.
Jen
I too am surprised. I heard so many great things about the show. Watch the first episode and thought it had interesting characters and a great storyline and then near the end we see the introduction of a homosexual storyline. I was disappointed. Haven’t watch it again.
Ellie, Why would so many Christians choose to watch this series?
Suzanne from Holland
I don’t think every Christian is against homosexuals. They are here, have been here and will be here. You might as well get used to it.
A
Not remotely similar to Downtown Abbey but I highly recommend The Mandalorian.
Anonymous
Patricia Routledge actress in series Hetty Wainthroppe Investigates. Very enjoyable. Not Edwardian but it is good BBC television from the 1990’s.
Ellie
Someone else told me they enjoyed The Mandalorian. They said that even people who aren’t into Starwars would enjoy it.
Ellie
Anonymous
Call the midwife is quite good!
Ellie
Thanks!
Alicia Mae
I haven’t watched it myself yet, but I’ve had several friends recommend “Grand Hotel” to me after I finished “Downton Abbey.” It’s a Spanish-language drama on Netflix. And this one is a movie, but “Gosford Park” was written by Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes, and has major Downton vibes. (It’s a whodunit set in an English manor house.)
Ellie
Thanks, Alicia Mae! Hopefully Julia Fellowes will continue to make TV shows and movies.
Patricia
Victoria! My two girl friends and I faithfully watched Downton Abbey for years, and after it ended, we felt a void (both because we loved the show, and because we had to work harder to schedule ladies nights 🙂). We gave Victoria a try and like it a lot. It follows Queen Victoria as she becomes queen and settles into her rule.
Anonymous
Yes Victoria is so good! I love Jenna Coleman!
Ellie
Thanks for the recommendation, Patricia. My husband’s parents watched ‘Victoria’ and also enjoyed it.
Ellie
Regina
I’ve never seen Dalton Abbey. You might like Victoria which currently is on Amazon Prime.
Ellie
Thanks, Regina! A couple other readers mentioned that, as well.
Ellie
Anonymous
I used to watch Upstairs Downstairs on PBS. But it’s not on anymore. That was back in the 1980.
Ellie
I might give that one a try. My grandparents used to watch it, and I hear that it’s very similar to Downton Abbey.
Ellie
Jane
I wouldn’t say this is comparable to Downton Abbey, but we live Call the Midwife. Even my daughter’s obstetrician thinks it is a great show!
Ellie
Thanks, Jane! Lots of readers have suggested ‘Call the Midwife.’
Isabel
I loved Downton Abbey. Did you Watch the movie?
I sugget The Crown, it is a must see serie!
Ellie
Hi Isabel,
We haven’t seen the movie yet, but we plan to. We watched the first two seasons of ‘The Crown’ a while ago. It was pretty intense, but it really ropes you in. Haven’t seen the new season.
Ellie
JDS
Poldark! PBS
The last season was disappointing. You will enjoy the seasons leading up to this last year.
Ellie
Thanks, JDS. We’ve heard of a couple other people enjoying Poldark.
Ellie
Anonymous
Aw, I thought the last season was very good. They wrapped the show up very well without leaving any plot holes, unanswered questions, etc.
Mieke
Call the midwife and/or the Crown!
Ellie
Thanks for the suggestions, Mieke!
Ellie
Anonymous
Father Ted is a series already in the classics hall of BBC fame, that is really a laugh. Have you seen it?
Ellie
Haven’t heard of that one. I’ll add it to my list.
Ellie
Anonymous
Poldark! My husband and I both really liked D.A. I was surprised my husband did but he likes shows set in the past and it just had superb acting and storylines. We just finished Poldark and I liked it more than D.A. My husband still picks D.A. as his favorite. Also, Dr. Thorne done by Julian Fellowes and a miniseries called Bleak house are really good. We like Poldark and shows like it because of the lack of bad words and homosexual storylines
Anonymous
What happens if you watch a TV show with a homosexual story line?
Ellie
A few others have mentioned Poldark. Glad to hear it was even better than Downton Abbey. We’ll have to give it a go. I agree, I am always thrilled to find appropriate TV shows and movies.
Ellie
Anonymous
10:52, I would assume the reader just doesn’t enjoy series with plot lines involving homosexuality. Everyone is allowed to have their own opinions and convictions. Although I do find it funny that the OP has problems with tv shows that have gay characters, but are fine with shows that involve characters who aren’t married being together in, shall we say, “married ways”, as some of the shows they mentioned enjoying portray.
Julie
We loved Poldark from PBS Masterpiece. Intrigue in Cornwall in the late 1700s. Fabulous acting and wonderful production values. Ross Poldark is a wonderfully flawed hero.
Ellie
Sounds like we will have to watch Poldark. Tons of readers are recommending it. Thanks!
Ellie
Lauren
Take a look through PBS’s Masterpiece Theatre offerings. We’ve loved so many of theirs. You can get it via Amazon. Poldark, Victoria, Grantchester, the Durrells in Corfu.
anon
i loved ‘the crown’! really gives you an inside look at what goes on in the monarchy, and a new found respect & sympathy for them all. i’ve heard it will be a trilogy with 2 seasons each with each set of actors. now that season 3 is out, and a new person is playing the queen, etc. (different time periods), they blended the two so well together the only words i could come up with was ‘brilliant!’
another show i love and have watched the series like 3 times, is ‘father brown’. set in the late 1950’s in england, the father is an amateur detective who always just happens to be wherever a murder is. (title character is played by the man who played ron weasleys dad in harry potter and he’s the same humble, kind, bumbling but intelligent type of person as he was in harry potter). its along the same lines as angela lansbury’s murder she wrote
Ellie
Thanks for the suggestions. We watched the first two seasons of ‘The Crown’ but haven’t seen the most recent one.
Ellie
Anonymous
I think you’d love Call the Midwife. I also enjoy Father Brown Mysteries.
Ellie
Thanks for the suggestions! Haven’t heard of Father Brown Mysteries.
Ellie
Beth
You might like the Marvelous Mrs. Maisel!
Anonymous
Are you kidding? Rated R, or should be. Definitely not for that couple.
Ellie
Thanks for the suggestion! 🙂
Ellie
Diana
I’m not a big TV person, but Downton Abbey won my heart. The writing is hands down, the best! Well, my suggestion might seem weird but here it is. Watch the entire series at least 2 more times. Wait a few months between each “marathon” but I’m telling you, you will enjoy it differently each time. My husband and I did that together and each time we commented on how the experience was different and fun…even though we knew the story! You will observe details that you didn’t notice before making the entire show that much more admirable. Gosh, we need more shows like that!
For whatever it’s worth, we also started watch Home Fires and that was also an excellent show but it got cancelled and left viewers on a wicked cliff hanger. I might watch it again just because of the beautiful scenery, the fabulous acting and writing. There were also a bunch of actors from Downton Abbey in Home Fires– not sure why it’s so enjoyable to see actors one recognizes across different works.
Oh yes, one last thing, I also named my 1-year old daughter Cora 🙂
Ellie, I have a question. How do you find time to manage the blogs as a SAHM? It feels like I have no time for anything sometimes (the whole re-watching of Downton Abbey was pre-baby).
Ellie
Hi Diana,
I am glad to hear that it’s enjoyable to watch ‘Downton Abbey’ multiple times. I think we will give that a try. And Cora is a beautiful name. 🙂
It’s hard to find time to blog. During nap time is great, although Little Buddy doesn’t usually nap very long, so that can be challenging. I just try to do a little bit here and a little bit there, while he is amused by his toys for a few minutes or when Daddy is home to watch him.
Sounds like our babies are about the same age. What fun milestones is Cora going through right now? Our son is getting his first teeth this week!
Ellie
Anonymous
Yes, it’s quite obvious that you don’t have time to keep up with your blogs now. Why don’t you just give them up?
Anonymous
No first birthday party pictures?
Ellie
We didn’t do a party. 🙂
Ellie
A.
Title is : Mist the Tale of a Sheep Dog Puppy.
Very cute British t v series, no more in production.
This would be something for the children and adults.
Ellie
I’ll keep that one on my list for when Little Buddy is a few years older. Looks cute. Thanks!
Ellie
Ingria
I also loved the Downton Abby, don’t forget to watch the movie. It was published last autumn. Have you seen “Keeping up with appearances”? It’s a 90’s show starring Patricia Routledge and she’s awesome as a snobbish middle class lady who wants to appear as a member of upper class and feels ashamed of her quite unique relatives (they are a riot!!) I also highly recommend BBC’s Pride and Prejudice mini series (made in 1995 with Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle), Jane Eyre mini series with Ruth Wilson (made 2006 BBC One) and the movie “the Kings Speech” which tells the story of Queen Elisabeth’s father.
Ellie
Thanks for all those suggestions, Ingria. I will write them down and give them a try. 🙂
Ellie
Anonymous
I like Keeping up Appearances too. I enjoyed Hetty Investigates more, but Keeping up Appearances is hysterical.
Benita
A lot of the series I like have already been recommended. Ellie, do you and Mr. Handsome like true crime stories? I’m watching a series on HULU called a crime to remember. Each episode showcases a murder from the 50’s and 60’s, and some of those murders are what inspired the development of different methods and laws to help investigations.
Ellie
Hi Benita,
I don’t think either of us have seen true crime shows. I’m a bit of a wimp when it comes to stuff like that, but as long as it wasn’t too intense, I think I would find it interesting. Thanks for the suggestion!
Ellie
anonymous
I think anyone who lives in the USA should watch true crime shows. The varied and number of crimes are amazing and probably because of the large population has high stats there. A good show is the Hunt which is a continuation of America’s Most Wanted on yt. But there are near endless numbers of true crime shows. It gives a person a view of what all goes on. But sometime I wonder if it is eating from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil? What do you think about that last question.
Anonymous
There was a TV series based on the books All Creatures Great and Small about an English veterinarian.
Ellie
I heard about that show a long time ago, but it’s been a while. Thanks for the reminder.
Ellie
Dawn
In keeping with the British Theme…The Great British Baking Show. The seasons are on Netflix….I don’t have Netflix but I saw a couple seasons when it was on pbs. I also have been told they are doing new seasons on Netflix. I am most partial to the original judges Paul Hollywood and Mary Berry in the earlier seasons but I believe Paul still judges with new judges on the newer seasons.
Ellie
We love The Great British Baking Show. Haven’t seen all the seasons, but it’s a good show to watch on-and-off. Do you enjoy baking, Dawn? I’ve always been tempted to try some of their recipes.
Ellie
Dawn
I am interested in cooking but am single and have a smaller family so don’t have a lot of opportunity. I do love watching cooking competitions besides British Baking Show, Top Chef and Master Chef are all fun to watch. You and Mr Handsome should look into your local schools and take a community ed cooking class. It is a fun night out and reasonable in price versus higher priced cooking stores that offer classes!
Justine
1 day I saw 1 of those contestants forget to put sugar in the cake I am not kidding, lol, guess what??? He was sent home, lol, Take care!!!!!
Ellie
Poor guy! I’ve done stuff like that plenty of times. Lol.
Justine
Ellie, I have all 6 seasons in Blue-Ray, in my DVD’s Collection!!!! IT is my 5th fave, I love that show, and the qulity of filming!!! #1 Absolutely Fablulous #2 The Tudors #3 Northern Exposure #4 Family Guy #5 Downton Abby!!!!! I hope your little family is doing great!!!!!!
Justine
Did say something bad, with my Downton Abbey post???
Ellie
Nope, nothing wrong with it. Sometimes it takes me several hours to moderate the comments. 🙂
Ellie
Justine
Dear Ellie!!
I’ve missed being on here!!!!
Ellie
I’ve missed have you on here, Justine! Sounds like you have had a busy few months. Glad you made it through. 🙂
Ellie
Justine
Dear Ellie!!
Thank U, and I know!!!!!! I thought sometimes I would not make it. I don’t do well with disease, or hospitals. I get major anxiety, and I want to bolt!!!! But, cause I love them, I got through it!!!!! Thank U!!!!!!
anonymous
Hello, I think I found a gem for you. It stood out in an unrelated search because of your blog request. Maybe you already are familiar with this….
A Russian TV series called ‘The Idiot’.
See Wiki description and found part 1, so far,on yt with subtitle.
Anonymous
I have not seen Downtown Abbey, but Hallmark’s When Calls the Heart series is pretty popular! I really enjoy it myself!
Ellie
I LOVE When Calls the Heart. I have seen all the episodes. I believe new episodes return very soon?
Ellie
Anonymous
The ITV series “Victoria” is very similar.