Downton Abbey creator Julian Fellowes says he's astounded at his series' success.
"I can hardly believe the way this city — and I hope this country — has taken the series to its heart. It's been extraordinary and bewildering in a way," he said on the Golden Globes red carpet.
Star Hugh Bonneville added: "It's got a big ensemble cast; if you get bored with one, another one's going to be on in a minute."
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When Downton Abbey returns for its second season on Jan. 8, 2012 on PBS, the action will pick up two years after that fated garden party in which the Earl of Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) announced that England was at war with Germany.
During Sunday's preview of the hit British series, executive producer Gareth Neame confirmed that the action in the seven-episode second season will take place over two years, just like the first season. "The new series is a similar sort of span," he says. "We start in 1916. The war will come to a conclusion within this series, and the final episodes is the time after the war."
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Only a week into the new year, and already the volume of new TV is overwhelming. Case in point: this Sunday's logjam of new titles on network and cable, ranging from the truly sublime to the hopelessly ridiculous and instantly forgettable. Here's a rundown from best to worst.
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CSI: NY (Friday, 9/8c, CBS)
Ever since JAG signed off nearly six years ago, one of the most frequent topics in my mailbag is the hope that David James Elliott (last seen in ABC's short-lived Scoundrels last summer) will find his way back to CBS. For at least one week, his fans get their wish, as Elliott guests as the FBI agent ex-husband of Sela Ward's Jo. (Do we sense a triangle brewing?) In the case of the week, a guy dressed as a clown shoots a bakery owner, and the investigation reveals a skeleton in Det. Flack's past. (Presumably not wearing floppy shoes.)
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FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
(Friday, 8/7c NBC) In another emotionally charged episode, Principal Tami Taylor finds herself dealing with an emotionally explosive situation when Becky comes to her for advice (at Riggins' urging) regarding her unwanted pregnancy. Family pressures also weigh upon star player Vince, whose addict mother suffers another setback...
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