‘Downton Abbey’ season 4 set to return in January, September 2013 in UK likely
PBS announced Tuesday that Downton Abbey will be back in January.
The eight-week scheduled run of the hit English period drama to run through the end of February, Masterpiece executive producer Rebecca Eaton said today during the PBS Annual Meeting.
Downton Abbey is the highest-rated drama in PBS history after its third-season finale drew 8.2 million viewers on February 17, a 50% increase from the Season 2 finale.
The time table for the PBS air dates falls similar to last year, coming after the fall run of the series on ITV in the UK.
The big ratings bumps in the US were confirmation of the huge fandom since the Internet was full of spoilers and rumors after the airing in Europe.
ITV doesn’t announce its schedule until a couple of weeks before shows debut, but a September run there is likely again for the Carnival/Masterpiece co-production.
Following last year’s exit of actor Dan Stevens, the fourth season will feature a ton of new cast members like Tom Cullen, Nigel Harman, and Dame Harriet Walter. Season four will also see the return of Shirley MacLaine as Cora’s mother.
