A stylish salute to Downton

Idaho Public Television hosts advance screening of first episode of final season of popular show

COEUR d'ALENE — Jennifer Sullivan said she didn't realize people actually dress up like their favorite characters from TV shows and attend viewing parties, but as a fan of "Downton Abbey," she understands why they do.

"You get caught up in everything Maggie Smith has to say," said Sullivan, of Hayden. "Usually her one-liners are the best."

Sullivan, who attended the special "Downton Abbey" viewing event Wednesday evening at the Best Western Plus Coeur d'Alene Inn, explained why people love the post-Edwardian-era British series so much.

"It’s a time period that we didn’t live in, so it’s very interesting to see how they interact with each other," she said. "People don’t get dressed up for dinner anymore."

But many fans did get gussied up in vintage garb for the viewing event, where they gathered for a social hour before screening the first episode of the sixth and final season. Those who caught the attention of the costume contest judges were tapped on the shoulder and invited to share a bit about what they were wearing. The judges were members of the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theatre and gave goodie bags to four guests whose costumes exuded "Downton" flair.

Christine Marshall of Spokane was one of the guests who received a prize for her outfit. She wore a blue turban-style hat she found at an antique mall to go with her handmade, vintage-style dress that reflected the fashion of the earlier days of the show. She explained that the first episode of season one took place when the Titanic sank.

"It isn't quite flapper-era because it's not absolutely straight," she said of the empire waist and lace overlay of her attire. "It's more early 'Downton,' say, 1914."

Marshall, who is a Civil War re-enactor, has been watching the show for four years and said she really appreciates its writing and historical accuracy.

"You are immediately drawn into the period. You don’t have to say, ‘Oh they’re just pretending, they’re just acting,’ it’s like they’re not. You are really there in that time period. It’s amazing," she said. "I think right now, everything moves too fast. People don’t sit and chat, it’s instant this and instant that. Manners are gone, there’s no eye contact. The rules are all gone. People kind of long to go back to a point in time when there were rules, people were polite … they weren’t in a hurry to get from point A to point B."

"Downton," which chronicles the lives of an aristocratic family and is set in the fictional Yorkshire country estate of "Downton Abbey," has been a huge success for the Public Broadcasting Service.

"It's the No. 1 most-watched drama in PBS history," said Jenifer Johnson, director of development for Idaho Public Television. "It has brought droves of fans to PBS, of all ages. The PBS audience generally tends to be of an older demographic, but we have people of all ages, teens and 20s and 30s who love PBS, so it's a wonderful chance for us to be able to reach out to them."

She said Idaho Public Television, which is celebrating 50 years this year, is "the No. 1 most watched PBS station in the country per capita," reaching 97 percent of the state.

"It's wonderful," she said. "There's different pieces and pockets of the viewer population who watch."

Johnson said PBS officials know that "Downton" fans are distressed about the show ending, but they have a solution to ease the pain.

"Where are they going to get all the drama and the love and the intrigue and all of that?" she asked. "It’s in 'Mercy Street.'"

"Mercy Street," a Civil War-era American hospital drama, will debut on PBS in mid-January.

Johnson said "Downton" fans will enjoy the new series because it has many of the same elements in a period setting.

"Because we have so many new viewers coming to PBS, we don’t want to lose them," she said. "We want to try and help them understand that they really do have a say in the kind of programming."

"Downton Abbey" season six on Masterpiece premieres Jan. 3 at  9 p.m. on Idaho Public Television.

Info: www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/downtonabbey