Two-time Oscar winner Maggie Smith now calls “Downton Abbey” home.
TV’s hottest period piece, “Downton Abbey,” just announced that it will return for a fifth season. The show has not even aired its fourth season on American TV yet, but the massively popular PBS series has been renewed in both the U.K. and the U.S., reports the Hollywood Reporter.
The fourth season already aired in the U.K, with an average of 11.8 million viewers, and will hit American air on Jan. 5. The show is the most popular drama in PBS’ history. “Like millions of other Downton fans, I can’t wait to see what’s next for the Crawley family,” PBS president and CEO Paula Kerger said in a statement. “We’re proud to be the home of this extraordinarily entertaining series, and, along with our stations, we look forward to sharing season five with U.S. audiences.”
Executive producer Gareth Neame said in a statement, “We promise all the usual highs and lows, romance, drama and comedy played out by some of the most iconic characters on television. All the actors and makers of the show continue to be humbled by the extraordinary audience response and want to take the show from strength to strength next year.”
It’s a good time to pop open that Downton Abbey wine.
Follow Andrea Park on Twitter: @andreapark
