'Downton Abbey': Where does network PBS go from here?
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Molly Driscoll Staff writer
鈥淒ownton Abbey鈥� is close to closing its doors.聽
The British historical drama, which airs on PBS in the United State, aired its second-to-last episode on Feb. 22. The series finale of the show centering on the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants will air on March 6.聽
(Spoilers for the Feb. 22 episode follow鈥�)聽
The newest episode included sisterly rivalry, as eldest sister Mary (Michelle Dockery) told her sister Edith (Laura Carmichael)鈥檚 fianc茅 that Edith鈥檚 ward was in fact her daughter. Edith鈥檚 fianc茅 breaks off their engagement and Mary, who earlier rebuffed her love interest, Henry (Matthew Goode), decided to marry Henry.
The end of 鈥淒ownton鈥� in March will mean that PBS鈥檚 highest-rated program will be going off the air.聽
The huge popularity of the show has meant a big boost in both ratings and cultural power for the network.聽
鈥溾�橠ownton鈥櫬爄n September [2011] not only won four Emmys鈥� but also brought the pubcaster a burst of critical recognition during a time in Washington when government funding of public broadcasting was suddenly in peril,鈥� . 鈥淥ne could even go so far as to say that聽鈥楧ownton Abbey鈥櫬爃elped to save PBS, though [PBS's "Masterpiece" executive producer Rebecca] Eaton wouldn鈥檛 go quite that far this afternoon.鈥�
Can PBS find another hit?聽
Another big hit the network currently has is the British TV show 鈥淪herlock,鈥� which has also become quite popular. But unlike 鈥淒ownton,鈥� a new season of which debuted on PBS every January, the seasons of 鈥淪herlock鈥� are more difficult to predict. A holiday special aired this past January, but there was a gap of almost two years in between. In addition, 鈥淪herlock鈥� seasons run for only three episodes.聽
As for future hits, the Civil War drama 鈥淢ercy Street,鈥� which debuted this past January, had promising ratings for its series premiere.聽
鈥淭he network can breathe a sigh of relief that its drama slate seems secure with the Civil War-set series,鈥� of the ratings for "Mercy."
In addition, the network is set to air a program titled 鈥淗amilton鈥檚 America鈥� that will detail the making of the smash hit Broadway musical 鈥淗amilton.鈥� While that program will presumably be a one-time occasion (though it is part of PBS鈥檚 鈥淕reat Performances鈥� series), the documentary will no doubt draw a large amount of viewers, as tickets for "Hamilton" are difficult to get.
And with 鈥淒ownton,鈥� PBS鈥檚 social media strategy was cited as one of the reasons 鈥淒ownton鈥� became a success.
鈥淪ocial media is a constantly morphing environment, and we鈥檒l always be looking for new venues that will both maintain and grow our social media community moving forward,鈥� during 鈥淒ownton鈥濃�檚 run.聽
Presumably the network has learned social media engagement plans that could be used for other shows as well.
