Tag Archives: TV

Is Downton Abbey the one public TV program that will convert viewers into contributors?

PBS sure thinks so.

And a lot of folks agree.

But PBS viewers in the U.S. have to wait a full four months after their counterparts in the U.K…which means spoilers, and lots of them.

I assumed the time lag was laid down by the producers.  The Brits would appreciate a slower pace, right?

NO.

Downton Abbey executive producer Gareth Neame wants American audiences in on the first viewing!  In an interview in Vulture, he was quoted as saying, “If I were PBS and I had the biggest drama I’d ever had in my entire 40-year history, I would be sorting my schedules out to make sure I was airing it more quickly.”

So what gives, PBS?

Are you scared to put Downton Abbey head-to-head with other new programming that comes out in the fall?  I would think its strong showing against The Walking Dead this spring would ease your mind on that score.  I know marketing DA might be a bit more challenging — since the actors will be committed on both continents — but a divide-and-conquer approach could be adopted.

Or perhaps the U.S. viewers will continue to vote with their checkbooks…and then the cartoon will look something like this:

Hee.