Downton Abbey has triumphed over some of the biggest home-grown shows in the USA, according to Reuters, today (February 8, 2012). The first show of the second series of Downton Abbey attracted around 4.2 million viewers and it is estimated that, with replays and online viewers, this will rise to 6.3 million, marking an 18% rise in the figures for the first season. More significantly, perhaps, it also means that the British World War One drama, starring Hugh Bonneville has out-performed some hugely popular US shows, including Mad Men and achieving roughly the same figures as the high-profile divorce episode of Kourtney and Kim take New York, starring the perennial favourite Kim Kardashian.
Interest in the show will undoubtedly have been bolstered by its Golden Globe win last month. Downton Abbey fought off competition from Cinema Verite, The Hour, Mildred Pierce and Too Big To Fail, to win the title for Best Mini Series or Motion Picture Made For Television. Masterpiece, the makers of the show are hoping that its fans also go on to show an interest in other forthcoming shows that they have, such as their adaptations of Great Expectations and The Mystery of Edwin Drood.
Elizabeth McGovern, Maggie Smith and Hugh Bonneville, three of the show's stars, were also nominated for Golden Globes, but lost out to Kate Winslet, Jessica Lange and Idris Elba, respectively.