Shark Bytes

i have just watched the show for the second time i was at school the first time round so when i found it was on i was hooked all over again i have my 12 year old daughter hooked i think its the costumes but what a programme still as good as ever why cant the make more what a shame

Upstairs Downstairs is a great show, but I have to admit it did jump the shark when James and Sarah got together.

Upstairs Downstairs is a great example of the British flair for making well done historical dramas.
Jean Marsh and the other wonderful actors did a superb job in their roles on the program.
I think the best episode is the one in which the King came to dinner and how this event affected both those upstairs and down.
I also favor those episodes with Lady Marjorie and the Edwardian times in which she lived.

A person a couple of posts down out it very well: Those (many) of us who loved this show might like to say it never jumped, but of truth were told, Season Five (especially with the death of Hazel) never quite had the same authenticity as the earlier seasons (especially Season Four, dealing with the Great War). But all in all, wasn't it a lovely show?

Let me qualify that by saying it ALMOST jumped... after the war when James and Georgina were living in the house alone and most of the house was shut up. After Richard and Virginia and the children moved back in it regained its magic.

Never jumped!This show was a favorite of mine in its original run and have never lost their appeal for me-great storylines,fantastic acting,excellent production values,superb writing and direction...ingredients that are sadly missing nowadays.I always liked the "downstairs" people better than the "upstairs"people(especially that ineffectual twit,James Bellamy-he got on my nerves!)-my favorites among the servants were Daisy,Edward and the unforgettable Sarah.

While is very tempting to say this wonderful show never jumped, if pressed I'd have to agree it was with the death of Hazel. Not that she was the crucial character to the show or anything (she didn't even arrive until episode 1 of Season 3) but post-1919 the show just didn't seem to work quite as well and find that magic blend of history and drama. That said, I would probably say Season 5 (final) is more consistently good than Season 1, where the show was still a bit shaky on its feet and finding the right balance between comedy, drama, and the parity of the Up/Down plotlines. The production values are also definitely lower in Season 1. Nonetheless, it is a wonderful show and Seasons 2, 3, and 4 are absolutely flawless.

Having recently watched this entire series in the UK (courtesy of Granada Plus and UK Drama) I have to say that, in my opinion, it never jumped. Furthermore, some of the episodes represent drama (both historical and emotional) at its very best. The changing times are dealt with superbly and reflected by the new faces that appear both upstairs and down. In all probability, this was (and still is) the best historical drama series of its kind ever made in the UK.

In my opinion the show jumped when the characters of Thomas and Sarah left the series. The show peaked with the episode that featured Thomas subtly blackmailing the Bellamys for the money he needed to start his own garage. After that, the series was still very good, but it just never topped that high point. The costumes were always great, though...

This show never jumped. To the above poster referring to 1960s issues and morals, try reading a little history. The period in question, 1900s to the '20s was all about anti-war and anti-government attitudes and questions about socialism, communism and so on. World War I was not necessarily that popular (it was basically an imperialist war) and there was much debate about the role of the monarchy, class issues, revolution and democracy. The first sexual revolution took place in the 1920s. Upstairs, Downstairs handled all these topics wonderfully. In a very real way, what happened in the 1960s was nothing new. Even drugs were a big part of the early 20th century. Nothing new under the sun.

The show was based from 1900 to 1920's, but Season two was all about 1960 issues and morals, anti-war, anti-government, pro socialism. I was waiting the for tie-die shirts and expected them to start toking up.

PBS in Dallas no longer shows this series. KDTN, the sister station of KERA, was sold to a religious broadcasting group. Now this show, and others I like on KDTN, won't be shown here. KERA can only take in a select few from KDTN, and sadly Updown didn't make the cut. Writing this as KDTN is showing a weekend-long marathon of the entire series. Love the characters, love the lack of music (unless the scene really requires it), and love how they evolved through the passage of time. Thank you, Jean Marsh, for helping to create this gem of a show. I only wish I could remember who your friend was that co-created it with you. Total blank on my part. Shame on me.

This show never jumped the shark. I recently purchased on Ebay the collection ofd EVERY show for the 5 year run. It is very subtle at times, extremely well acted, and very touching. It is an extraordinary reflection on the times. As Mr. Hudson would have said, "Everyone knew their place and respected their betters, setting an example to all, worshipping God above." Just wonderful.

When Hazel died, this program began to go out with a long whimper. Much of the show's tension came from the clash of the cultures of the two "families": the upper-class blood relatives upstairs and the working-class de facto family of servants downstairs. As a middle-class woman who married into the Bellamy family, Hazel observes both worlds from a bit of a distance but is in a real sense part of neither one - just like most viewers. It was Hazel whose impressions were most like those of the middle-class American television viewer, and we loved her. She kept James in check (but would probably have been happier as Richard's wife; James was such a baby - not a man at all), stood up to Hudson on occasion, and did the servants' bidding with the patriarchy of the household when the situation called for it. "Just a secretary," perhaps, but more noble than many of the upstairs bunch. I miss her. She also looked like she had stepped out of a Botticelli painting. What a beauty!

You're right. I was thinking it was Jane Seymour, (whose real name is Joyce Frankenberg, by the way), who appeared on this show, when it was actually Lesley-Anne Down. I get those two mixed up when I think of their early projects.