All 6 series of Downton Abbey ranked - last place is a 'long slog'

Downtown Abbey, the beloved period drama that used to be a firm feature on a Sunday evening, continues to boast a large fan base. With period dramas having somewhat of a renaissance at the moment, the genre is gaining many new fans.

Since 2010, we have seen the Crawley family and their staff grow through the early 20th century. So whether you are a new viewer looking to get the inside scoop or a seasoned watcher with a differing opinion - here are the six series of Downton Abbey ranked by TV Insider.

The fourth season has been described as "dour" and "a long slog" following on from the cliffhanger that season three ended on. The series largely follows Mary as she inherits a share of Downton and takes control of the estate. But with that, two women, Edith and Anna, whom she is very close to, suffer misfortunes.

The fifth season is an improvement from it's predecessor. Edith's misfortunes turn around but Anna is implicated following a murder before then, when Mr. Bates takes the fall, she is cleared. There is also positivity when a engagement between a couple in the downstairs crew is announced. Season 5 may not be the most engaging, but it spends a lot of time building up to the finale.

For fans of Downton Abbey, the third season represents the twin tragedies. Midway through the season, Lady Sybil dies of eclampsia that occurs during childbirth, and in the last moments of the season, Matthew dies in a car crash shortly after Mary has given birth to their baby. The season put a focus on the early 20th-century maternal mortality but there is some positive news when a certain someone is cleared of murder charges.

The first season comes in at number three, when we first meet the upstairs and downstairs residents of Downton Abbey. The main storyline explores Lady Cora's dowry, which must of course go to a male heir. The first series was very much Downton finding its feet however, with some describing it to be a little too much like a daytime-drama.

Downton’s second season begins with the Abbey transformed into a hospital for WW1 soldiers. Between Matthew nearly becoming paralysed in the trenches, to Spanish influenza and the budding romance growing between Mary and Matthew, the series is jampacked with narratives. It will be sure to have you hooked and is no surprise it sits firmly at number two.

If there was never a Downton Abbey movie — that turned into a big-screen Downton trilogy — Season 6 would have been a satisfying end to the story. There are budding romances and secrets being revealed left, right and centre. But it is the staff that are the stars of the show in Season 6, with a lot of the downstairs group finally getting their flowers. The series ends on an optimistic note showing that Downton Abbey can be a home but it doesn't need to be the forever home for the characters that kept it running all throughout.