‘Downton Abbey’ season 3: Finale notes for U.S. audiences

If there is one thing that has made the American airings of “Downton Abbey” all the more confusing this year, it is their decisions to air a number of double-episodes across the season, and thus giving their highest-rated series a little less time during the year to actually air.

For example, the season premiere in January was two hours, and it actually contained what was both episode 1 and 2 of season 3 in the United Kingdom. Now, it needs to be noted that episodes 7 and 8 in the UK are actually going to be combined here into what is episode 6 in America. This two-hour installment will air on Sunday, and then the season finale (otherwise known as the Christmas special across the pond) will be on the air the following week.

There is an interesting silver lining in here when it comes to the finale: for all of the American viewers who have complained about “Downton Abbey” episodes airing several months after their British counterparts, this final episode will only be airing a month and a half after it did so in Britain. Of course, this is still probably enough time for the vast majority of American audiences with an internet connection to have the ending inadvertently spoiled for them. Luckily, there are still a plethora of other reasons to check out the series, which includes some stellar performances from Allen Leech and Rob James-Collier along with an opportunity to see how people in Edwardian England take part in game of cricket. (We’ll have a full preview up tomorrow.)

Do you want to see the latest hilarious parody of the show spoof “Downton Sixbey”? If you have not received the opportunity to check this out just yet, you can do so over at the link here.

Photo: ITV / PBS