Downton Abbey | 2019 | PG | – 3.3.2

Why is “Downton Abbey” rated PG? The MPAA rating has been assigned for “thematic elements, some suggestive material, and language.” The Kids-In-Mind.com evaluation includes mentions of women being raped, mentions of arranged marriages, a few kissing scenes between men and women and men and men, and some cleavage revealing outfits; an assassination attempt, discussions of deaths, discussions of murders, and several arguments; and some exclamations and name-calling. Read our parents’ guide below for details on sexual content, violence & strong language.”

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The next chapter in the 1920s saga of the aristocratic Crawley family and its servants takes place a couple of years after the popular British TV series concluded: King George V and Queen Mary of England plan to drop by the Downton Abbey estate for a one-night stay and both the upstairs nobles and the downstairs domestics must endeavor to make the visit a smashing success. With Michelle Dockery, Matthew Goode, Tuppence Middleton, Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Joanne Froggatt and Imelda Staunton. Directed by Michael Engler. [Running Time: 2:02]

Downton Abbey SEX/NUDITY 3

 – We hear in an introductory sequence that a man visiting a household seduced a woman and ended up dead in her bed (we see the man and the woman kissing and we see his bare chest and abdomen as he is moved from the bed), and we hear that a woman was raped (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). A woman talks about thinking that she was barren.
► A man propositions another man to leave a pub with him; they leave and go to a private speakeasy where we see men dancing together and kissing (please see the Violence/Gore category for more details). Two men kiss and they are nearly caught by another man. A husband and his wife hug and kiss. A husband and his wife hug. A man and a woman hold hands in a few scenes. A man touches a woman’s hand and they kiss. A man kisses a woman’s hand. A man tells a woman (she’s his fiancée) that he was jealous when she “made eyes” at another man. A man touches his finger to another man’s lips to quiet him, alluding to the fact that he too is gay.
► A woman dresses and we see her wearing undergarments that reveal cleavage, back and legs to the mid thighs. A woman wears a variety of low-cut ball gowns, dresses and nightdresses that reveal cleavage and her bare back. A woman removes a stocking and we see her bare leg to the knee.

Downton Abbey VIOLENCE/GORE 3

 – During an introductory sequence we hear about several calamities: the sinking of the Titanic and a man who died on it, a man ending up dead in the bed of a young woman (we see him dead with grey-tinged skin), we hear that a man died in a car accident (we see him pinned under a car without visible blood), a man was sentenced to death for committing murder, a woman was raped (we see her crying) and we hear that the man that committed the rape was murdered, we hear that a woman died from eclampsia after childbirth (we see her lying dead in a bed with grey-tinged skin), a man had a “near fatal health crisis,” and there’s a reference to pandemics and bankruptcies.
► A man chases another man along a parade of horses, and darts between them; the second man draws a gun and points it toward a man on horseback and the chasing man tackles him and wrestles him to the ground until a woman kicks the gun out of his hand and the gunman is taken away by officials.
► Many men in a speakeasy are arrested when police raid the building and we see them being taken away in police vehicles. A woman is startled by another man yelling at her and others and she accidentally splashes food on his formal attire (he storms off to change). A man locks two other men in their respective rooms.
► A woman confronts another woman about stealing from a household. A man who is assumed to have been part of a protective service for the king and queen’s visit questions another man about his loyalties. Men and women among the staff of a household are insulted when confronted by royal staff and are told that they cannot attend to the king and the queen when they arrive; they bicker several times in different scenes. A woman complains about people riding over them roughshod and that “We don’t deserve a kicking.” A husband reprimands his wife and children and orders the children to be taken out of a room in front of guests (his wife is embarrassed). We hear that a woman has a fatal illness and doesn’t have much time. A joking reference is made about a man “building a bomb.” People talk about challenging a will for ownership of property. A reference is made to a woman being able to “hammer a tent peg with her teeth.” A man says, “We are hunting men,” thus they would not mind getting wet and muddy. A woman argues with another woman and tells her, “You belong in a straightjacket.” A woman says that other people “bore me to death.” A man says, “They had it coming.”
► A man hammers a hot water heater and breaks it when he is angry. Several men and women work outside during a rainstorm to set up chairs for an event. A man is shown sleeping for an extended period of time after having been drugged (please see the Substance Use category for more details)

Downton Abbey LANGUAGE 2

 – 2 derogatory terms for gay people, name-calling (socialist minded, republican, snooty, despicable, mental patient, old fashioned, flunkies, that sort, Machiavellian, Caligula, scary, rubbish, kitchen skivvy, miserable, common men and women, corrupt, crazy, communist at heart, disappointment, stupid, sad, disloyal tomfoolery, law and order man, thief, silly, irregular, wall flower, snobbish, insane, dirty perverts, silly boy, reckless, wild), exclamations (blimey, bloody, are you out of your mind, golly, bloody well, oh my goodness, like it or lump it, speak of the devil, don’t tempt me), 6 religious exclamations (God, God Will Make It Stop, God Is A Monarchist, My God, Thank The Lord, For God’s Sake). | profanity glossary |

Downton Abbey SUBSTANCE USE

 – We hear that a man was given a double dose of a “sleeping draught” in his tea. People are shown drinking glasses of presumably sherry and whisky as well as champagne and cognac in several celebration and reception scenes throughout the movie, people drink wine and champagne for toasts in a few scenes, and several men are shown drinking beer in a few pub scenes. A man smokes a cigarette.

Downton Abbey DISCUSSION TOPICS

 – Wealth, monarchy, the upper class, the working class, secrets, change, honor, dreams, duty, jealousy, homosexuality, pride, principle, appearances, second chances, feminism, scandal, fatal illness, the Boar Wars, establishment cover-ups, conspiracy theories, humiliation, revolution, treason, gender roles, parenting, normal life, general strike, fate, bankruptcy, pandemics.

Downton Abbey MESSAGE

 – Change is difficult in strictly structured environments.