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PBS announces “Downton Abbey” Season 4 premiere date

Tue, 14 May 2013 16:45:00 +0000

PBS has announced that Season 4 of British period drama "Downton Abbey" will premiere on Jan. 5, 2014. The season will run for eight weeks, ending on Feb. 23.

Like the seasons before it, the fourth season will again lag the U.K.'s broadcast, which will run in the autumn of 2013 on ITV. Last season, this caused some controversy among fans, as spoilers and leaked videos hit the Internet before the U.S. broadcast -- the biggest upset being the death of Matthew Crawley in the season finale.

In February, PBS president Paula Kerger told Salon that despite the possibility of spoilers, a several-month lag in broadcasting still makes sense for the scrappy network:

“Downton Abbey” to introduce first black cast member

Tue, 26 Feb 2013 21:00:00 +0000

Following up the November announcement to "open the show up ethnically" on "Downton Abbey," casting notes obtained by the Sun today reveal that the show has settled upon casting a black actor to play a jazz musician Jack Ross in the upcoming season.

The Sun reports:

"Casting notes were sent out to actors’ agents earlier this month. They describe Ross as “Male, 25-30. A musician (singer) at an exclusive club in the 20s.

'He’s black and very handsome. A real man (not a boy) with charm and charisma.'

"Whoever lands the role should 'ideally be able to sing brilliantly'. The notes add: 'Overall he should be a very attractive man with a certain wow factor.' Jack Ross will play a key part in the fourth series of the hit TV saga alongside a string of other fresh faces."

Dan Stevens confirms rumors that he is leaving “Downton Abbey”

Wed, 26 Dec 2012 17:00:00 +0000

Actor Dan Stevens, who rose to international fame for his role as Matthew Crawley in British period drama "Downton Abbey," has confirmed rumors that he will not be returning to the show's fourth season. Considering that the show's Season 3 Christmas special just aired in Britain, Stevens joked that “It is very strange to make it official especially since we are talking about it in the future perfect." He added, “I am not sure exactly what tense it is, but it is something very weird.” (Making it weirder still for Americans, as Season 3 premieres in the U.S. on Jan. 6.)

But in an exclusive interview with The Telegraph, Stevens admits that he made the decision before filming for the third season had even begun. “We were always optioned for three years,” he said. “And when that came up it was a very difficult decision. But it felt like a good time to take stock, to take a moment. From a personal point of view, I wanted a chance to do other things."

“Downton” creator to produce “Gilded Age”

Wed, 28 Nov 2012 14:00:00 +0000

A certain type of TV viewer is in acute withdrawal until season three of "Downton Abbey" premieres on Yankee shores in January. But is that period soap just too foreign for a mass American audience? Yesterday, NBC announced that "Abbey" showrunner Julian Fellowes will be creating "The Gilded Age" for American audiences. The NBC Universal produced show promises to deliver the opulence of Edith Wharton's New York.

The New York Times points out that Fellowes visited Edith Wharton's estate in Lenox Hill, Mass., "who will surely guide" the drama. "This was a vivid time,” Fellowes said. “With dizzying, brilliant ascents and calamitous falls, of record-breaking ostentation and savage rivalry; a time when money was king.”

NBC has not announced when "The Gilded Age" will air and Fellowes, hedging his bets, will also producing a fourth season of "Downton Abbey."