‘Doctor Who’ alum Jenna Coleman’s ‘Victoria’ series will fill ‘Downton Abbey’ hole at PBS

“Downton Abbey” has become an enormous part of the recent resurgence in PBS, mostly because of the fact that the show’s ratings are through the roof. This has enabled a publicly-funded network to continue to be at the center of major conversation, but there is a problem: The show is ending in March. While PBS may still have “Sherlock,” it only airs irregularly, and “Call the Midwife” and “Poldark” have yet to get similar ratings over the course of their run there.

Luckily, it appears as though the network has figured out their next potential hit: “Victoria,” an epic series starring none other than “Doctor Who” alum Jenna Coleman in her first major role since leaving the show. Here is what Rebecca Eaton, executive producer of PBS’ Masterpiece level, had to say in a statement per Entertainment Weekly:

“Downton Abbey has proved that millions of viewers will turn up year after year for a beautifully crafted period drama … Victoria has it all: a riveting script, brilliant cast, and spectacular locations. And it’s a true story! This is exactly the kind of programming Masterpiece fans will love.” 

Ultimately, we don’t doubt that this was the right choice for Masterpiece to make, but that doesn’t mean it will be easy to get people on board watching this show. “Victoria” is going to air on ITV later this year, so there is a similar problem here to “Downton Abbey” in that it will be airing months later. Also, can lightning really strike twice for the network?