14 Years Later, ’Downton Abbey’s Most Crushing Moment Still Defines the Series as a Masterpiece

If you’ve been pondering whether to hop on Downton Abbey before the new film hits theaters, now is the time. Even after all these years, it still feels like a show that can grab you, episode after episode, with romance, heartbreak, and just a significant, public type of drama. Julian Fellowes' show wasn't about pomp and circumstance, or aristocrats with big hats — it was about characters under stress, and often very messy and complicated ways they loved and lost.