Downton Abbey
That "Downton Abbey" is hugely successful in Britain and the U.S. should come as a surprise to no one, but less known is just how influential the show has become worldwide. "'Downton' is very British," show creator Julian Fellowes recently told The New York Times, however "most of the stories are about emotional situations that everyone can understand." Jeremy Egner breaks down the show's global reach: "Downton Abbey" was the most-watched drama in Denmark, the No. 1 scripted series in the Netherlands and at or near the top of its time slot in countries like Singapore and Brazil last year, according to figures provided by NBC Universal International. It has also been one of the most watched imports in Australia, Norway, Belgium, Israel and Iceland, according to Amandine Cassi, head of international television research at Eurodata TV Worldwide, an audience-research company based in Paris. The show's success is on a scale almost never reached by British or European series, she added. The Telegraph's Peter Foster is over it, and he would prefer -- in reaction to a report that the cast of "Downton" made a personal tribute video for former U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton -- that the show stop attempting to represent Britain abroad: Yes, yes, I know, Downton is all about bigging up the "creative industries" and tourism, but Downton particularly plays into every American's stereotypical fantasy of quaint Britain, forever locked in a fading, post-Edwardian gentility, the Empire and the old house crumbling about our ears. (Photo credit: Masterpiece/Carnival Film & Television Limited)
