Don’t expect to see Downton Abbey at the same time as your British friends across the Atlantic. PBS president Paula A. Kerger said Monday that the network will continue to air new episodes in the winter months, starting in January, as they have in the past. The show has been such a success there, that there’s no reason for a move now.
Kerger said that the Downton Abbey season premieres in the days after New Year’s Day are becoming post-holiday traditions for viewers, notes The Associated Press. Despite airing months after the show’s U.K. premiere in the fall, Downton Abbey’s fourth season premiere drew over 10 million viewers on Jan. 5.
Kerger also told TheWrap that Downton’s January premiere keeps the show out of the busy network fall premiere week. Many shows are in repeats during early January, which means that more people are hungry for new shows that month.
It also gives the cast a chance to do more American publicity, since it would be hard for them to publicize the show in the U.K. and America simultaneously, Kerger noted.
PBS has decided to start Sherlock with a much short waiting period after it airs in the U.K. Sherlock’s third season started on Sunday, only weeks after its debut in the U.K.
You can check out our recap for the latest Downton Abbey here.
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