Downton Abbey Preview: A Look At The Series 3 Cast Photo

British series Downton Abbey is gearing up for a third season on iTV. Despite Series 3 feeling like it is just around the corner, U.S. viewers won’t be able to catch the show until it is brought to the states via PBS in early 2013. To make the wait a little easier, Downton creators released a clip of Shirley MacLaine interacting with Maggie Smith’s character for the first time, and now they have the first cast photo of the season to go along with the clip.



It’s great to see MacLaine, who will play Cora’s mother during the third season, bedecked in her period piece costume. However, what I find most interesting about the new image is the positioning of the Grantham family. Usually heir Matthew Crawley takes a second row position on the lineup photo, meaning his storylines will be of some importance. Regardless, this season, Elizabeth McGovern, who plays Cora, gets a second row spot and her mother appears pretty close to the front, as well. I knew MacLaine would be integral to the cast in Series 3, but it looks like she will also get a lot of screen time.

Looking to the back in the picture, it is nice to see Lady Sybil assumedly back from Ireland, but since she has married a former employee, that really could get awkward for everyone. I think it is also safe to say we are ready for Downton Abbey to return so we can figure out the fate of John Bates. With The Washington Post reporting the new series will feature a very broke estate, things are heating up extremely quickly. Let the countdown to new episodes begin.