Five Fabulous Shows to Watch... If you love Downton Abbey

also titled - - Mary and Matthew got you Down(ton)?
or - - How I fell in love with Mr Bates over and over and over agian.

Whether or not your are on board with what happened in the last episode of Downton Abbey, there isn't a person I know that has started to watch that show and not fallen in love with it.  My husband is still holding out, but he likes to crack the occasional "Who is Abby again?" joke while I re-watch the first season for the 3rd time.  :)

But whether you are giving up the show for good or not, there is a English countryside sized space to fill in our hearts and I've got some ideas for you.

1. Larkrise to Candleford (4 seasons, all are available free with Amazon Prime)
   Featuring the very Mr. Bates as a strong, uncrippled, albeit poor Farmer.  This is the endearing story of a girl who leaves her family to move to the next town for an apprenticeship at the local post office.  
2. Upstairs Downstairs (2 seasons, season 1 free with Amazon Prime)
   A very similar story to Downton Abbey, regarding the workings of a wealthy nobel household in the early 1900s.  Not to be confused with the  long running BBC show which began airing in the 70s (I couldn't bear that one), I was sucked into the story of the Hollands and wished for more episodes as soon as they ended.  
3. BBC Emma Miniseries (4 episodes, free with Amazon Prime)
   I'm absolutely loving this one, which features Dumbledore as the worrisome Mr. Woodhouse and poor Sir Anthony Strallon as Mr. Weston. Emma is such a great story and it was lovely to see a longer version.  And!  The Mr. Elton is actually quite good looking and the Mr. Knightley is not too shabby either.  
4. Cranford (two seasons, both free with Amazon Prime)
   Featuring our dear Carson in a very different role, and Lady Judy Dench, who has never been bad in anything.  I fell in love with Cranford's eccentric residents as they try to cope with the modern world coming into their small town.  Lots of gossiping ladies, which is always a plus!
5. North and South (four episodes, free with Amazon Prime)
   A pride and prejudice-ish love story.  A little darker feeling than the others as it is based in a factory town and not the country.  Mr. Bates appears again which is always a treat.   

Happy watching!