‘Downton Abbey’ boasts rare wit

"Downton Abbey" doesn't house zombie slayers, boy wizards or anyone named Kardashian. The blockbuster series, about to kick off its second season stateside as part of "Masterpiece Classic," boasts something more compelling and all too rare: true wit.

That element sparkles brightest when handled by Oscar winner Maggie Smith, who plays Violet, the mother who must stick her pretensions into everybody else's business.

"I hate Greek drama," she says at one point, her eyes permanently set to bewildered. "Everything happens offstage."

It's that kind of delicious dialogue that's sorely missing from romantic comedies starring Sarah Jessica Parker. It's also just the sort of humor that the British dine on. The second batch of episodes, which aired in England this past September, drew 9 million viewers there, nearly 35 percent of the viewing audience, making it the country's most popular drama in eight years.

What's equally impressive is how quickly U.S. audiences have embraced the series, just as they devoured "Brideshead Revisited" and "Upstairs, Downstairs" -- which, like "Abbey," was based on a memoir by former kitchen maid Margaret Powell.

Each episode of the first season in early 2011 attracted nearly 5 million viewers in the United States; On average, PBS stations get about 2 million viewers. Thanks to "Abbey," as well as modern-day adventures of Sherlock Holmes and a return to "Upstairs, Downstairs," ratings for "Masterpiece" were up an astonishing 43 percent from 2010 to 2011.

"It's the best thing that has happened to 'Masterpiece' in ages," said executive producer Rebecca Eaton.

Set during World War I, two years after we last left the mansion, heir-apparent Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens, who has a smoldering glare that could ruffle Angelina Jolie) is hunkered down in a bunker, commanding forces during the Battle of the Somme. His would-be love Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) is kicking her aristocratic self for not marrying Crawley when she had the chance, while her younger sisters are developing from spoiled brats into proto-feminists.

The most prominent romance among the servants continues to simmer, as Mr. Bates (Brendan Coyle as the unlikeliest and most satisfying of sex symbols) continues to seek a divorce so he can marry head housemaid Anna (Joanne Froggatt).

There is certainly much drama beyond goo-goo eyes in the halls, especially when the mansion is converted into a recovery center for veterans, an egregious act to the sensibilities of both Violet and her daughter-in-law the Countess of Grantham, played with exquisite subtlety by Elizabeth McGovern.

But what keeps us hooked are the words, all penned by Julian Fellowes, who won an Oscar for his "Gosford Park" screenplay.

Fellowes' characters never say exactly what they mean. They're more content talking about the temperature of a cup of tea than affairs of the heart. Stevens, who previously appeared in "Masterpiece"'s "Sense and Sensibility," believes that approach is a big reason why the show has become a phenomenon.

It's more than fun; it's a sheer joy. "Masterpiece" host Laura Linney says it best in her enthusiastic introduction to the new season: "It was worth the wait."