Who is Abbey and why is she Downtown??!! Over the last week I have seen these two words in my twitter feed, in the news and on Facebook and up until now I have politely ignored each annoying occurrence. Everywhere I turn, there this Abbey person is, sort of like a tick! USA Today reports that the season premiere of Season 4 shattered records with 10.2 million viewers. So, I figure, if that many people are watching this show it must be good, right?

First, let me tell you that you are pronouncing it wrong: it’s not down followed by town then Abbey. Go ahead, say it again: Downton Abbey. Nope, sorry! The correct pronunciation is Downton, not Downtown Abbey. hmph

The first thing I do is follow Commandment #3 and learn that Downton Abbey (did you say it right?) is an international TV series by PBS. The 4th season started just this week. Downton Abbey is not available for streaming on Netflix, but on Amazon Prime! (you can get a free 30-day trial, including 2-day shipping with no minimum purchase here).

So, I drank the Koolaid, just like I did with House of Cards and Breaking Bad (GREAT choices). Using PBS’s handy-dandy character map, I watched the very first episode and I am hooked! How have I missed this!!! Where have I been???! (I blame reality TV) #power, #money and #prestige reign and I love the setting: reminds me of Schönbrunn Palace in Vienna. My favorite character so far? Lady Mary! If you prefer to read your way to Season 4, check out this site. You can also download the episodes from iTunes or purchase the 3-season DVD set from Best Buy.