Downton Abbey has NOT been dumbed down for American audiences

Carson, have him sacked, will you?

It is because I have so thoroughly enjoyed Downton Abbey that it has annoyed me to read the idiotic article by some lame Daily Mail "reporter" (term used loosely). I've since learned that most people in Britain are already fully aware that you don't give creedence to anything that comes from them. However, Chris Hastings stirred up the pot by suggesting that American audiences would be baffled by the plot of Downton Abbey and that 2 hours had been cut. It's simply not true, and the Daily Mail finally printed a reply made by the Executive Producer of PBS Masterpiece, Rebecca Eaton:

'You were wrong last Sunday to say Masterpiece on PBS is downsizing Downton Abbey by two hours because of the allegedly short attention span of Americans. As with virtually all our co-productions, Downton Abbey was edited for our commercial-free time slot. Approximately 35 minutes came out of more than seven hours and the cuts were made in the UK by the original producers. None of the characters, themes, or plotlines (including about the "entail" inheritance law) was eliminated. We have hundreds of talented colleagues in the UK whose work we showcase in the U.S. Any impression that we violate their work would be disrespectful and just plain wrong.'

Rebecca Eaton
Executive Producer, Masterpiece on PBS