OK, its a decent costume drama, high on costume and set quality with a plot interesting enough (although predictable) to keep you attached for now.
However the characters are all mundane, grey and unattractive and there isn't one you actually care about. The two leading female actresses are so alike that you have to double check which one is which on screen. The same with several other cast members. It's almost as if they just auditioned every actor for every part. This is down to lazy casting and also weak and rather dull actors and and poor character building. Some of the supporting actors look as though they have turned up under duress.
I guess Fellowes didn't want to fork out for some stronger, better known actors.
We also have the predictable upstairs: downstairs / Downton Abbey gossipy scheming servants and the them & us class divide. This helps drive the plot along but it's a tired old trope now and I would have expected something fresher from Fellowes this time around.
My biggest problem is with Philip Glenister as Trenchard. Glenister is playing his usual 21st century police crime series character and his actions and contemporary language are totally unsuitable for the Victorian age. This again is repeated by most of the younger actors and the result has a cheap contemporary soap opera feel about it. Eastenders characters rarely make a successful jump to period drama. Come on Julian, this is sloppy work.
Its comfortable enough entertainment but I doubt it will deserve a second season.
However the characters are all mundane, grey and unattractive and there isn't one you actually care about. The two leading female actresses are so alike that you have to double check which one is which on screen. The same with several other cast members. It's almost as if they just auditioned every actor for every part. This is down to lazy casting and also weak and rather dull actors and and poor character building. Some of the supporting actors look as though they have turned up under duress.
I guess Fellowes didn't want to fork out for some stronger, better known actors.
We also have the predictable upstairs: downstairs / Downton Abbey gossipy scheming servants and the them & us class divide. This helps drive the plot along but it's a tired old trope now and I would have expected something fresher from Fellowes this time around.
My biggest problem is with Philip Glenister as Trenchard. Glenister is playing his usual 21st century police crime series character and his actions and contemporary language are totally unsuitable for the Victorian age. This again is repeated by most of the younger actors and the result has a cheap contemporary soap opera feel about it. Eastenders characters rarely make a successful jump to period drama. Come on Julian, this is sloppy work.
Its comfortable enough entertainment but I doubt it will deserve a second season.