Downton Abbey Set To Premiere 3rd Season In The US, While Britain Awaits Christmas Special

While the Downton Abbey Christmas special is set to air in the UK on December 25, 2012, Stateside audiences are still eagerly awaiting the show’s third season. The British Edwardian drama has become something of a cult favorite with US audiences. The fact that over in the UK,Downton Abbey is already well into the season and plans for season 4 are already being announced is probably a bit of a burn then.

Naturally, blogs and social networks are buzzing with speculation over the fate of Mary, Edith and the rest of the Crawley family, as well as the rest of the show’s beloved characters. Because British audiences are ahead on the plot, spoilers abound on the web. Nevertheless, the writers and stars of Downton Abbey continued to keep the plot under wraps during an excerpt screening in Los Angeles on Sunday.

Though not quite spoiling anything major, the cast members did drop some hints about what’s to come for American audiences. Rob James Collier, for example, mentioned that the relationship between Thomas and Mrs O’Brien is about to get even worse, saying that “It's like the Cold War all over again. If there’s one person you don’t want to p*** off, it’s Mrs O.B” Hitfix.com reports. Sounds menacing enough. US audiences will have to wait until the season premiere on January 6, 2013 to catch up.