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Programme: 'Downton Abbey'
The lowdown: Set in the years just before the Great War, "Downton Abbey" follows the Earl and Countess of Grantham, their three daughters, the Earl's manipulative mother (played by Oscar winner Maggie Smith) and their house servants as they wheedle, connive and backstab one another among the luxury and history of a sprawling English estate.
Why it makes good telly: Playing to audiences in both the UK and the US, "Downton Abbey" is the most successful British period drama in 30 years; it was recently nominated for nearly a dozen Emmys. It's got the steam of "Grey's Anatomy," the suds of "Dallas" and the sophistication of "Masterpiece Theater"... because even when the English do sex and scandal, they do it with a touch of class.
