BBC’s beloved British masterpiece classic “Downton Abbey” shocked viewers during its American third season premiere on Jan. 6. The long awaited arrival garnered 7.9 million viewers, many more compared to the 4.2 million viewers the second season premiere received.

Guess Americans were shocked by the plot development of this one episode, considering our standards are measured by whoever the perceived “A” this week is on “Pretty Little Liars.”

Jokes aside, this season, set during World War I, may not be Downton’s grandest but surely is its juiciest. With one Grantham sister married and the other one pregnant with the former chauffeur’s child (God forbid!), “Downton Abbey” promises more than just Maggie Smith’s jokes of the last two seasons, but the dramatic story of a royal family forced to face their beloved home and lifestyle slipping away in the brink of war. 

The Grantham sisters bring more drama this season. Lady Mary struggles with married life, believing her husband to be more loyal to himself than her family. Doesn’t he know when you marry the girl, you marry the family?

Lady Edith shuns 20th century etiquette and courts an elderly man despite her parent’s disapproval. No one likes the ugly sister … sorry, Hedith. Lady Sybil, the rebel child, struggles with her bourgeois husband and his fanatic ways.

Other than the histrionics of the Crawley family, this season welcomes a new character, American actress Shirley MacLaine, who plays Cora Crowley’s mother. She may be the only hope to save Downton from its financial woes.

Although the season has completed in England, not even the surfacing spoilers can disdain the refreshing dramedy that is “Downton Abbey.”