Plot so thin, it passes unnoticed.

Charming and brutal

A bit overrated, but still an amazing film

Great movie. Not sure what people expected but I found it highly entertaining.

The real problem with the three episodes that were aired and I viewed is the fact that there was uncertainty about whether there would actually be more than 3 episodes. This three episode alleged season had to be produced assuming that there would be more than just three episodes of this sequel to Up/Down. Hence, things were rushed, the show seemed incoherent much of the time, and there was some uncertainty about how to develop plot lines and characters. This might excuse some of the problems with the first 3 episodes. That being said, I thought the show was weak--it only came alive when K. Hawes was on the screen, a flaming firework in a cast of mostly duds. Ms. Hawes has charisma and subtlety-- e.g.,in a rather dull role as a pathologist in the first Murdoch Mystery series (she appeared in two of the three episodes in this truncated series), she played her part as it was written and her obvious sensuality was kept under wraps. Still, she performed admirably. In Up/D she shows great promise. The Indian character was forced, unrealistic and was undoubtedly part of the show for diversity's sake. This show has been compared to Downton Abby. I thought D. Abby was boring with a script that would trip up Olivier. The new Up/Down, if it continues (I understand that only six more episodes have been ordered--which is hardly reassuring)seems to me to show little promise. The first Up/Down is iconic and was on for many episodes and those who compare the new version to the old are being unfair. As it stands, I would suggest watching or re-watching The Duchess of Duke Street, The Pallisers, The House of Eliot and Bramwell for quality, period multi-episode shows. There are others of course. For the record, the first Upstairs Downstairs has always been overrated. I just finished watching three seasons and I was underwhelmed to the max.

While I agree with most of the author's assessment of the new US/DS, I wanted to comment on a few things mentioned regarding the original series. When Edward came to dinner at 165, he was already King, not the Prince of Wales. Richard Bellamy did not marry his secretary. It was his son, Captain James, who married Richard's secretary, Hazel. Not all of the servants resented Hazel for marrying "above" her class. Rose rather liked the idea and supported Hazel, the new lady of the household. Richard did eventually remarry - to a widow with 2 small children. Also, it was the son, James, who gradually declined following WWI. The brevity of the new series so far (3 episodes) is simply not long enough to adequately develop a character or even to get to know and understand a particular character. Hopefully, there will be more episodes to improve upon what has been started. The personalities do seem to be rather superficial and shallow, almost to the point of being caricatures. But in reality, the shorter and fast-moving productions reflect the preferences and viewing habits of younger audiences. For the rest of us, thank God for Netflix.

It's really not polite to directly criticize other reviewers -- they are certainly entitled to their opinion. But it would be interesting to know the ages of the various people who have given this series a high rating.While it is probably true that the younger, twittering crowd would not sit still these days to watch the original Upstairs/Downstairs, PBS and the BBC have made a serious mistake abandoning the core audience. It's like a farm stand selling Grandma's Homemade Apple Pie that decides to increase business by switching over to sell Grandma's Fastfood Fries -- with the result that after a year or so there is no more Grandma's anything. They've established a trust fund to "save" MPT, but why bother? Use the money to Save the Whales instead.So here we have Masterpiece Theatre producing a potboiler soap opera in 3 episodes with gorgeous costumes and absolutely nothing else.To begin with, the series shares nothing with the original except a name. The 20 minutes wasted in the first episode that goes to opening up the old house is simply an attempt to trade upon the original franchise. It is unbelievable that the place would have been vacant that long, and how does it advance the story in any way at all? The maudlin long gazes out the window by Rose accompanied by violins -- the wine cellar key with Mr. Hudson's name being replaced -- what is that all about? Each episode has improbable plot twists. The new servant in the first episode who turns out to be on parole and ends up back in jail. The servant in the second episode who conveniently has asthma and dies in the final reel. The sudden discovery of a long lost sister with Down's Syndrome in the third episode who is conveniently in the same facility as the conveniently troubled daughter of the deceased maid. (This particular chestnut is inherently improbable as you would think that mom would have put the child in a different facility to avoid her son discovering his sister.) The head butler who moonlights as an obstetrician. The seamy love scenes. All trite stuff.And where it isn't trite, the material points more to today's concerns than to creating the world of the 1930's. We have the special needs child that was shut away, the refugee from Nazi Germany foreshadowing the Holocaust, the ethnic minority, etc.In the original series, there were a couple of times when something from the "real world" popped up in an episode as a plot devise. One time Prince Edward came to dinner, and the whole show revolved around staging such a dinner party. And, of course, Mrs. Bellamy went down on the Titanic. Here, we get Moseley in one episode, Wallace Simpson in another, and the Abdication thrown in for good measure. So much for subtly.In contrast, the original series revolved around the slow development of a group of complicated characters: Richard Bellamy's role as an MP combined with his uncomfortable position at home where his wife had all the money; and the subtle relationship between the servants downstairs and the gentry upstairs culminating, I suppose, when Richard came to the bedside of Mr. Hudson when he was sick; and the problems when Richard married his secretary because the servants would not accept someone who didn't know her place; and the long, slow decline of the brother following WWI; and the cast of characters who made occasional appearances like the family lawyer who would eventually show up to resolve difficulties or Prudence ("Pru") who would stop to see her friend Lady Bellamy and who later thought Richard would be a good match (and so did the audience) but Richard didn't show interest.So this failed effort is simply a sad parody of the original and inadvertent commentary on how dumbed down MPT has become.

I'm too young to have seen the original, 1970s UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS but I understand this three-part miniseries is supposed to be a continuation of the same story/situation. It was broadcast by the BBC on three consecutive nights, beginning Boxing Day 2010.Many naysayers remarked that this series was hurriedly conceived to cash in on the success of ITV's rival drama, DOWNTON ABBEY. Having seen some episodes of DOWNTON, I have to admit that it's vastly superior to what we have here. In terms of character interaction alone, DOWNTON wins hands down because UPSTAIRS, DOWNSTAIRS never for a moment features the kind of master-servant interaction you'd expect from the title.The two classes lead totally separate lives and involved in pretty much unconnected story lines. Downstairs, there's a rebellious maid who wears nail polish and a butler who used to work on a cruise ship. Upstairs, dead-eyed Keeley Hawes is pregnant and her younger sister's a bit of a tearaway. That's it in terms of decent plotting.The characters are dull and because the cast is so large we never get a feel for any of them, so decent actors like Art Malik are wasted while others go through the motions. There's a whiff of political correctness in the air and things only pick up later on with the introduction of a back plot involving the rise of Oswald Mosley and his blackshirts, but again that has little to do with the premise of the show. A bit of a missed opportunity, then, and another example of the BBC's desperate attempts to make money.