Brandon Rich

Big disappointment. I love this franchise, but this installment was a swing and a miss. The story was too small. The characters forgettable.

The writing and character character development are great. I'm sure this will be almost as entertaining at Downton Abbey since it comes from Julian Fellows and Gareth Neame. That having been said, I think the one thing that is lacking is the exterior sets and cinematography. When watching Downton, you feel like everything you see is genuine, largely because it is shot in a real pace: Highclare Castle. It is painful obvious that all of the exterior scenes are shot on back lots. I watched the premier episode last night and it felt like I was on the Warner Brothers back lot tour every time they were outside. The scene on the water waiting for a ferry also looked very fake.