Downton Abbey's Main Characters Ranked By Likability

From the moment that "Downton Abbey" first appeared on our screens, the series has captured the attention of fans and engrossed them in the stories of the various characters. The show launched to worldwide acclaim on ITV in 2010 and has become one of the most popular and successful shows to come out of the UK in the last decade. Lasting for six seasons over the course of five years, the franchise has since expanded with a feature film in 2019 with a sequel — called "Downton Abbey: A New Era" — due to release soon.

"Downton Abbey" was certainly not the first historical drama or even the only successful one. Yet, it largely stands apart from the rest of the genre because of its wide cast of characters. Viewers watching the series get the chance to become familiar with a huge array of personalities, with even the most unlikable ones being memorable. Each of them has their own way of doing things and unique problems to deal with, making them captivating to watch. 

Whether it's the Lords and Ladies of high society or the lowly servants that are under them, the characters always made for compelling viewing. Here is every main character ranked from "Downton Abbey" by likability.

Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery) was a fixture on "Downton Abbey" from the very first episode all the way to the series finale. The eldest daughter of the Crawleys, she is the heir to the Downton Abbey estate and one of the central characters. Much of the action in the series follows Talbot and her relationships with the other surrounding cast. Many stories revolve around her potential marriages, especially with Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens), who she eventually marries. She later goes on to marry Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode) following the death of Matthew in a car accident.

For the first few seasons, Mary was designed to be a cold-hearted and stubborn woman. She was both childish and bad-tempered, often not thinking about the consequences of her actions. This, combined with the fact that she was heavily featured in almost every episode, made her one of the most disliked characters in the show. Although she was able to show more of her good side in later seasons, she also consistently mistreated her sister Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael).

Lady Edith Pelham (Laura Carmichael) was another of the daughters of Lord and Lady Grantham. The middle child, she was perhaps the most tragic of the three sisters. This was no more evident than in her love life, where she constantly experienced disappointment. The biggest of all came when Sir Anthony Strallan (Robert Bathurst) left her at the altar during the third season. By the end of the series, Edith does manage to find happiness when she marries Bertie Pelham.

Throughout the run of "Downton Abbey," Edith is one of the most downtrodden characters. Yet, she also has a huge victim complex and often brought about the trauma that she suffered. The way the Lady treated Margie Drewe (Emma Lowndes), the woman who was raising her illegitimate daughter Marigold, was pretty disgusting as she ended up forcing her out of her home away from her friends and family. The lack of responsibility Edith takes for her own actions has made her unlikable to many fans.

Charles Carson (Jim Carter) plays an important part in the world of "Downton Abbey." He is the butler for the family, having worked his way up from junior footman before the series started. This puts him in charge of the food, wine, and dining room at the country estate as well as being head of the male staff. Acting with a grandfatherly disposition, he generally takes care of the other servants working at Downton Abbey and has a particularly good relationship with Lady Mary Talbot (Michelle Dockery).

One of the main issues with Carson is his conservative views. He shows an unwillingness to advance with the times and is seemingly afraid of change. A good example of this is his displeasure at electricity being installed in the kitchen. Additionally, it puts him into conflict with the likes of Thomas Barrow (Robert James-Collier), as he believes that his view of the world is always correct. The butler has a tendency to dismiss the views of the female members of staff. This was even evident on his wedding day, when he forced Elsie May Carson (Phyllis Logan) to have their wedding at Downton Abbey when she preferred to have it in the village where she won't be seen as a servant.

In "Downton Abbey" Isobel Grey (Penelope Wilton) is the mother of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and a former nurse. Her previous job engendered Grey with a kind and caring nature. A progressive with liberal views, she regularly comes into conflict with Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and has a friendly rivalry with Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith). After much trauma in the six seasons of the series, Grey eventually accepts a marriage proposal from Lord Merton — despite the best intentions of his sons to put a stop to the wedding.

For better or worse, Grey always wants to do the right thing. She is constantly taking up charitable causes and tries her very best to assist those who need help in the area. However, the character could be overbearing and obsessive in her quest to make the world a better place. During World War I, she convinces the family to convert Downton Abbey into a convalescent hospital to aid the wounded. While this is a noble cause, she acted as if she now owned the building and ordered everyone around. When the war ended and the Crawleys wanted to once again live in the house as normal, she took it personally and stormed off.

Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) is the wife of Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and is officially called the Countess of Grantham. Appearing from the first episode of the series, she is the mother of three daughters. A wealthy American heiress, she is one of the most forward thinking and progressive characters on the show. This is in direct odds with many of the other members of the aristocracy that are portrayed on the show. Occasionally, the difference in thinking has caused some disagreement with her husband who is far more conservative.

For the most part, Cora Crawley is depicted as a kind and warm person. She usually sees the best in people and can be oblivious to those who have ill intent towards her. The Countess is incredibly loyal to her family and protects them in any way that she can, regardless of what they might have done. While this has made her a generally well liked person with viewers, the fact that she is a bit too gullible and has no real depth to her personality stops her from being popular with fans.

Beryl Patmore (Lesley Nicol) is the cook at Downton Abbey, taking charge of the entire kitchen and the staff working there. Throughout the six seasons of the series, Mrs.Patmore shows that she is a caring and warm person. While she has a strict work ethic and expects staff to work to her high standards, she is never cruel to them. The cook is forgiving to those who admit their mistakes and has demonstrated that she possesses a sense of humor and isn't afraid to have some fun.

All of that means that Mrs. Patmore is one of the most lovable characters in the show, with no real negative elements to her personality. Arguably the worst thing about her is that she convinced Daisy (Sophie McShera) not to focus too much on education and instead stick with her job. Yet, even this came from a compassionate place, as the cook didn't see an opportunity for Daisy to advance through the social hierarchy because of the way it was structured against the working class.

Tom Branson (Allen Leech) started life in "Downton Abbey" as a chauffeur, although he went on to hold a number of roles within the household. He and Sybil Crawley (Jessica Brown Findlay) fell in love and married, but the relationship faced trouble thanks to his background as an Irish nationalist. Suffering tragedy when Sybil dies, he is accepted by the Crawleys as part of the family and ends up as a land agent who is responsible for modernizing the estate.

Branson almost instantly became one of the most liked characters in the series. He brought an entirely different perspective to the show and injected some much needed energy to proceedings, ensuring that nothing was ever mundane. The Irish-born socialist was also moral and noble, fighting for important causes that he believed in. As a character he arguably went through the most development, maturing into a loving father and husband. All of this endeared him to fans of "Downton Abbey" as he was one of the down-to-earth individuals that most people can relate to.

Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) is the Dowager Countess of Downton Abbey. She was the husband of the previous Earl of Grantham and mother of Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville). Held in high regard by most of the other characters in the show, she still had much influence over the affairs of the estate. Yet, she was also one of the more traditional members of the aristocracy — someone who wanted to hold on to the old way of doing things. This often caused difficulties between her and both Isobel Crawley (Penelope Wilton) and Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern).

Although she often portrays herself as a distinguished and cold matriarch, the Dowager Countess is often very friendly to the staff and a tender person. She has shown compassion and a willingness to display her own vulnerability. Violet certainly has a darker side, such as when she did everything within her power to split up Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lavinia Swire (Zoe Boyle). Nevertheless, her quick wit and sheer entertainment value made her arguably the most likable and popular character on "Downton Abbey."