The view of Thames House. The London Eye seemingly always in the background. The pubs and old neighborhoods. Then, by contrast, a small town. A castle in Yorkshire. The attire. The aristocracy, and oh, those accents…
Furrylittlegnome came to a realization today: She loves British television shows. Her two favorites at the moment are MI-5 (or “Spooks” as it is known in Great Britain) and Downton Abbey. Not only are these two shows based in England, but they are currently housed in the US on public broadcasting television stations.
Full disclosure: This gnome has not seen the entire series of MI-5. She is currently on season four. The premise of this fictional by very life-like show is to follow a small cast of characters who are officers in MI-5, a real British security service that protects national security from any type of threat. In each episode, we see the intricate processes and procedures that these “spooks” take, within the organization, to find and destroy the threat.
From the first episode, furrylittlegnome was hooked, and by season three, she was saddened when (spoiler alert) Matthew Macfadyen’s character left the show to live a normal life. Thinking it couldn’t get better, gnome has been pleasantly surprised thus far!
Downton Abbey. What more can be said about this British hit that has taken America by storm? A period piece, furrylittlegnome wasn’t sure if she would enjoy it, and boy was she mistaken. The costumes are meticulous. The props amazing.
We begin at fictional Downton Abbey – an plush estate in Northern England where the main focus is on the Crawley family – a high powered, aristocratic family desperate for a male heir to continue their legacy. In getting to know Lord Grantham (brilliantly played by Hugh Bonneville), his wife and three daughters, we also learn about the inner-workings of England’s elite through the eyes of Downton Abbey’s hired help and how the two social classes co-mingle.
England is on the verge of entering World War I, and the stakes are high at Downton. As we learn in season two, both, the Crawleys and its staff, are heavily affected as the war hits home. There is conflict. There is hardship. There is hope. There are crimes.
Two seasons have been televised, and furrylittlegnome is hoping for more!
furrylittlegnome 
A third season of Downton Abbey is in production in England now. (I’ve started my own British TV blog-ilovebritishtv.com) Not sure when it will make it to the US, but since it’s so popular here, I’m sure we’ll see it within the year. Fingers crossed.
Thanks for the info. Can’t wait!
FLG – you have made me want to start watching these shows! Thanks for the recommendations. If you love British stuff so much, you should go to England sometime!