Downton Abbey season 1 cast

‘Downton Abbey’ returns to Arizona PBS

“Downton Abbey” fans will recall that last spring, we came to you with the sad news that our rights to air the “Masterpiece” favorite were expiring at the end of June 2020. Your overwhelming support, however, has reopened the doors to the Abbey!

Arizona PBS and our fellow PBS stations around the country heard an outpouring of love and support for “Downton.” Clearly, we needed to take our cues from the Dowager Duchess of Grantham:

This year, we are very pleased to have a different message: “Downton Abbey” will be returning for your streaming and on-air enjoyment! We heard that you wanted “Downton” on PBS and, as Mr. Carson says,

Yes, “Downton Abbey” is coming back to Arizona PBS. All six seasons have returned to the PBS Video app!

On-air, look for Season 1 in March:

Sunday, March 7

4 p.m. “Downton Abbey Returns”: A nostalgic celebration of all aspects of the most successful British drama ever. Hosted by Jim Carter, who portrayed the Crawley family’s butler Mr. Carson, the program features interviews with the cast of the series, writer/creator Julian Fellowes and executive producer Gareth Neame.

6 p.m. Season 1, Part 1: When the Titanic goes down, Lord Grantham loses his immediate heirs and his daughter Mary loses her fiance, throwing Downton Abbey and its servants into turmoil. The new heir turns out to be Matthew, a lowly lawyer with novel ideas about country life.

8 p.m. Season 1, Part 2: Mary entertains three suitors, including a Turkish diplomat whose boldness leads to a surprising event. Downstairs, the shocking former life of Carson, the butler, is revealed and Bates risks his health to remain valet.

Sunday, March 14

6 p.m. Season 1, Part 3: Growing into his role as heir, Matthew brings out the bitter rivalry between sisters Mary and Edith. Servants Thomas and O’Brien scheme against Bates, while head housemaid Anna is increasingly attracted to him. Lady Violet’s winning streak in the flower show is threatened.

8 p.m. Season 1, Part 4: The heir crisis at Downton Abbey takes an unexpected turn. Meanwhile, rumors fly about Mary’s virtue. Her sister Sybil takes a risk in her secret political life. Anna unearths Bates’ mysterious past and O’Brien and Thomas plot their exit strategy.

Look for more of the series to re-air throughout 2021 and beyond. In short,

A last word? In case you didn’t secure your DVD set last spring, the offer still stands: Support Arizona PBS and, as a token of our deep appreciation, you can choose the complete “Downton Abbey” DVD set and the 50th anniversary mug from “Masterpiece.” Just look for “Downton Abbey” in the program list. Thank you!

Ted Simons, host and managing editor of

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