Every Downton Abbey Movie & TV Show, Ranked

Airing for six seasons on PBS — Channel 3 in its native England — "Downton Abbey" focuses primarily on the wealthy and powerful Crawley family in early 20th century England. But the massive ensemble includes not only the Crawleys, but also both their upper crust friends and the various housekeepers, ground staff, and other people who work for the Crawleys and their peers. So seemingly accurate is the franchise's depiction of its era that some have wondered whether "Downton Abbey" is based on a true story. It's not, but it speaks to the franchise's authenticity that it's an oft-asked question.

Movies that get a sequel TV series with the original cast have become fairly common, especially in recent years, but it's less often that TV shows get continuation films. Yet "Downton Abbey" has had three feature-length movies released in theaters since the original series ended, which both pick up loose threads from the show and also tread entirely new plot territory. 

Even though this is a ranking of the TV series and its three films, let's be clear: there is no bad "Downton Abbey." The "worst" item on this list is still terrific. That being said, some of the movies are definitely better than others, as we'll detail below — as well as reveal where the original series fits in with the film trilogy quality-wise. 

The general consensus with all three of the "Downton Abbey" movies is that they are essentially episodes of the show, only slightly longer and with a bigger budget. But in this case, that's really all fans would have wanted anyway. In terms of the second movie, "Downton Abbey: A New Era," that larger price tag and broader scope comes by way of the characters going to France to see about the villa that had been bequeathed to Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) years before, which she is now passing along to great-granddaughter Sybbie (Fifi Hart).

Fans and critics seem somewhat torn on whether 2022's "A New Era" improved upon its predecessor film — the simply-titled "Downton Abbey" — or was a slight step backward. The reason we opted for the latter is because it doesn't feel quite as narratively polished as the first movie. The focus on a smaller chunk of the ensemble is fine, but it comes at the expense of a number of characters who still show up anyway but are given almost nothing of substance to do. They feel like they are there just so fans will say, "Hey, it's so-and-so!" and that's about it. Otherwise, "A New Era" is a worthy chapter in the "Downton Abbey" saga and definitely proves that the movie offshoot of the property wasn't just a one-trick pony. 

The first "Downton Abbey" movie needed a big event to build its plot around and justify the need for the film to exist in the first place — or at least, not just be seen as an extra episode of the show that inexplicably took four years to arrive. The Crawleys being visited by the king and queen definitely fulfills that mission nicely, especially since the preparation for the royal visit ends up exploding into a deluge of personal squabbles and juicy melodrama the type of which "Downton Abbey" fans can't get enough of.

The 2019 film also deserves credit for feeling so much like an actual movie. The additional time and budget that a film is given versus a single episode of a television show — even a show like "Downton Abbey" — is not insignificant. Here, that time and money results in a production even more lavish than the already-lush series was, and a scope truly befitting the big screen for those who were lucky enough to experience it that way. You certainly couldn't just drop the "Downton Abbey" movie into rotation with the series and pass it off as just another episode, and that's a huge compliment. 

As of now, "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale" is to be considered exactly that. It is intended to be the final "Downton Abbey" film, and also to bring the curtain down on the franchise as a whole. Anyone who has been watching movies and television for a long time knows that it's difficult to ever fully trust a property that is claiming to be ending itself, but here's hoping "The Grand Finale" really does mean the end of "Downton Abbey" because it would be extraordinarily difficult to top it.

How do you even begin to properly send off a saga that encompasses six seasons, two films, and over 100 different characters with just a single 124-minute movie? Answer: by having the timeline move into the 1930s and having the Crawleys face a massive scandal at the same time. Needing to both recover from said scandal while also figuring out how the next generation of Crawleys are going to carry on the family legacy was a masterstroke. It's not only a way to bring closure to the Crawleys as we've known them up until now, but sets the stage for their future, even if it's a future we won't actually get to see on screen. At least, not until the inevitable "Downton Abbey: The Next Generation" debuts 10-20 years from now. 

This isn't going to be a big surprise to anyone, but the original "Downton Abbey" series still can't be beat. As admirable a job as the movies have done of continuing the quality and legacy of the show, and as worthy as they are to be included in the overall franchise, this is the type of universe that needs entire seasons to truly breathe. It also allowed for a mix of smaller stories that could be wrapped up in one or two episodes, and overarching ones that stretched across entire seasons, if not the whole run of the show. 

Plus, those 100+ characters we mentioned that make up the complete "Downton Abbey" ensemble? Many of them have entire arcs that begin and end on the show and never cross over into the movies at all. Like any TV show, some "Downton Abbey" seasons are better than others. But like the various pieces of the overall franchise, even the lesser seasons of "Downton Abbey" are still fantastic and none are even remotely skippable. 

For newcomers, it might seem like a massive time investment, not to mention how much work it is to keep up with all those characters. But like the best shows with giant ensembles and stories that stretch for years, it is absolutely worth all of the time and effort you put into it.