Meanwhile, series creator Julian Fellowes acknowledged that, while "Downton" shares many of the traits of other costume dramas, it's delivered with "more of a modern energy."
But it became clear that there's at least one other key ingredient to consider: A remarkable chemistry among its cast -- something that was on glorious display when many of the "Downton" principles -- including newcomer Shirley MacLaine -- participated in a panel session that absolutely sizzled with feel-good vibes.
Undoubtedly still high on Emmy euphoria, the actors cracked jokes. They played well off one another. And they basically had a lot of fun.
How much fun? Well, Hugh Bonneville, who plays the usually very proper Robert Crawley, put an exclamation mark on the evening when he jumped out of his chair, tore off his tie and unbuttoned his shirt to reveal a T-shirt emblazoned with a two-word plea in bold letters:
"Free Bates."
The message, of course, referred to the hard-luck valet played by Brendan Coyle, who has been charged with a murder that "Downton" fans sincerely hope he didn't commit.
Coyle, by the way, claims he took the quiz that asks "Which 'Downton' character are you?" and it produced a surprising result.
"I'm Lady Mary," he said with a sly smile. "I'm really happy about it."
Even MacLaine got in on the hilarity. When someone asked if she had ever met fellow acting legend Maggie Smith before signing on with "Downton," she replied, "Well, we were lovers in another life."
READ MORE:http://www.heritage.com/articles/2012/07/25/opinion/doc500ffe019e075327497359.txt?viewmode=2
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