SummaryA reversioning of the 1970s show, BBC One presents a three-part tale titled Upstairs, Downstairs. It picks up almost 5 years after the original series ended, in London's Belgravia in 1936. The show follows a wealthy family and their servants as they deal with the changes of a pre-war society.
❮ Upstairs, Downstairs
Season 1
Season Premiere:
Dec 26, 2010
Metascore
Generally Favorable
74
User score
Generally Favorable
7.7
My Score
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Season Episodes
Top Cast
Metascore
Generally Favorable
78% Positive
14 Reviews
14 Reviews
22% Mixed
4 Reviews
4 Reviews
0% Negative
0 Reviews
0 Reviews
Apr 8, 2011
100
The performances are precise and beautifully detailed, as are the characterizations in Thomas' script. Fans of the original series will see certain echoes in some of the characters in the sequel, but the echoes are faint enough to allow us our memories of, among so many others, Rachel Gurney and David Langton as the Bellamys, Angela Baddeley as the cook and Gordon Jackson as Hudson, who was so much more than just the butler.
Apr 11, 2011
80
It's just a touch of the veddy, veddy humor that helps make everything so delightful before the world intrudes into Masterpiece Classic's revival of Upstairs Downstairs.
User score
Generally Favorable
84% Positive
16 Ratings
16 Ratings
11% Mixed
2 Ratings
2 Ratings
5% Negative
1 Rating
1 Rating
Oct 6, 2017
10
Everything felt like the original. The complicated individuals and their relationships with one another have been presented skillfully and at a good pace. I loved how upbeat the show is even though there are sad, bad and ugly issues making me upset, mad and disgusted. There is a lot of good in most of the characters with their flaws being brought out just a bit and those you just know you are not going to like but can't wait to see the wreck they make of their lives. It seems one already has made a mess of things and you feel bad that happens to someone who seemed so nice. Well done.
Apr 10, 2011
10
I really enjoyed the show tonight and from what I have read the 2nd and 3rd will just get better. Apparently the **** Regime will be integral to the story.
Apr 7, 2011
80
Upstairs Downstairs sticks to the rules established by the original and defies the odds by being as good, and in some ways, even better.
Apr 11, 2011
70
With only three hours to develop character and story, it can't help but suffer by comparison to the Emmy-winning '70s series that helped put Masterpiece Theater on the map, as well as to the recent Masterpiece triumph of the similarly themed Downton Abbey. But there are considerable pleasures.
Apr 8, 2011
70
After a slow start, the second and third chapters become pretty absorbing, showcasing a first-rate cast--including original series creators Eileen Atkins and Jean Marsh--and an interesting subplot regarding the growing Nazi threat in 1930s Britain.
Apr 8, 2011
60
Over a mere three episodes for this season, it is difficult to know most of the characters. Some, like Sir Hallam, seem only half-drawn. Agnes's sister Lady Persie (Claire Foy)--a debutante who's become a fascist fangirl--is repellant in an uninteresting way. There are some plot touches, involving minorities, that clang as too modern. Then again, when the Duke of Kent cries over his brother Edward's abdication--"It's the sort of thing that happens in Romania"--memories of what was so entrancing about the original show come wafting back.
Apr 11, 2011
50
We're ostensibly supposed to see Eaton Place as a warm haven holding out against the cold wind of history, but a show built around the humanity of strangers would be more convincing if the characters displayed more humanness.
Apr 20, 2011
7
The house is the same, at Eton Place, and Rose is still there, this time asked to hire and run staff for a new household. It's 1936 so we know WW2 is lurking, which means **** and Jews will be featured. We do get a Sikh, a monkey, a fascist, and an aging colonialist in the stew. We get to dislike Keeley Hawes, which is possibly why she took on the role as Lady Agnes, a snooty counterpoint to her husband's more liberal bent. Somehow the place seems emptier and, despite the new interior, mustier. Perhaps it's the smell of imminent decay, the musk of change in the social order? Downton Abbey is much more fascinating.
Oct 10, 2011
6
While it pales in comparison to its eponymous predecessor, this reincarnation of Upstairs, Downstairs is well-done. The acting is quite good. Jean Marsh sparkles as does Eileen Atkins, and Keeley Hawes is both endearing at times and infuriating at others. A pretty good story line is dragged down by just slightly above average dialogue. Also of note are Helen Bradbury and Art Malik. While I recommend it, I can't do so without mentioning that Downton Abbey is a far superior and engrossing experience in every way.
