‘Downton Abbey: A New Era’ Stars Hugh Dancy and Joanne Froggat on How Hollywood Shakes Up the Sequel

EXCLUSIVE: Sam Waterston will continue as DA Jack McCoy on Law & Order‘s upcoming 22nd season on NBC. In doing so, Waterston is extending his Law & Order run to 18 seasons to become the longest-tenured cast member on the mothership series.

Claire Danes and Hugh Dancy are enjoying a night out together.

Detective Kevin Bernard has turned in his badge one more time. Anthony Anderson, who reprised his character from the series’ original run in the new Season 21, will not be returning for Season 22.

SUNDAY AM UPDATE: Refresh for more analysis and chart Focus Features’ Downton Abbey: A New Era is coming in at $16M, and while some might snipe that it’s lower than the first one’s robust $31M start, particularly against a production cost that’s double from the first at $40M, keep in mind this is a sequel to period drama franchise, not Marvel. For Focus, it’s their best opening during the pandemic, besting Northman‘s $12.3M start. By the way, New Era‘s opening is right where tracking spotted it earlier this week.

“Downton Abbey: A New Era” which takes place in 1928 – nearly two decades after the series first began.Given the popularity of the show and now film franchise, many may be wondering what kinds of viewing options are available for “Downton Abbey 2” and when or if it might be streaming. Everything you need to know about the new film is outlined below.The sequel opened exclusively in theaters in the United States on May 20, courtesy of Focus Features.

FRIDAY MIDDAY UPDATE: Focus Features sequel Downton Abbey: A New Era is heading toward an $18M opening after a projected $8M Friday that includes $1M in Thursday night previews.

“Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the follow-up to the 2019 feature film and the latest in the story of the aristocratic Crawley family established in the hit series, earned $1.05 million in its Thursday box office previews from 3,300 screens. “A New Era” opens on 3,815 screens this weekend, which is the widest opening for a Focus Features film in the specialty distributor’s history.

the first film, pulls from real-life events, with the historical drama drawing inspiration from a chapter in Alfred Hitchcock’s professional life as a director. According to director Simon Curtis, the sequel’s movie-within-a-movie subplot is a direct reference to the prolific filmmaker’s early days of making silent movies, most notably 1929’s . [: Some spoilers for ]At the time, Hitchcock was working on his latest silent film, an adaptation of Charles Bennett’s 1928 play about a woman who is blackmailed by a man who tried to assault her.

exciting and neeeeew than that old show.There are two concurrent plots here, both of which play like rudimentary fan fiction. The Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), who’s in poor health, is shocked when she learns she’s inherited a villa in the south of France from a summer fling decades earlier.

, Odelya Halevi joined the franchise as ADA Samantha Maroun opposite Hugh Dancy as ADA Nolan Price and returning alum Sam Waterston as DA Jack McCoy. While speaking to ET, Halevi looks back on joining creator Dick Wolf’s mothership series, what makes her character a standout on the franchise, and why “the stakes are very high” for everyone in the finale. After having grown up watching and always wanting to be a lawyer as a kid, Halevi says her mind was blown when she was offered the part. “It is extraordinary,” she gushes.

One wedding and a funeral — and a birth. That gorgeous house, never mind the leaky roof. Some sunshine, too! More bone-dry quips from Maggie Smith.

When thinking of modern television and its lasting legacy, three shows come to mind as standing tall in either acclaim or significance. First, “Breaking Bad,” which lives on currently through “Better Call Saul” on AMC and is still considered potentially the best show of all time.

Today Show is making host Savannah Guthrie's dream come true! The star unveiled an unbelievable on-set transformation that left her totally awestruck.ALSO: HELLO! launches Jubilee T-shirt collection to celebrate Queen Elizabeth in styleIn honor of the release of Downton Abbey: A New Era, Today studios were unrecognizably transformed to fit the style of the legendary Highclere Castle, where the iconic period piece has filmed since its debut in 2010.The set felt so authentic, it had Savannah joking about forgetting etiquette and how to behave.WATCH: Savannah and other Today hosts like you've never seen them beforeMORE: Selma Blair makes difficult revelation about her mother to emotional Savannah GuthrieThe beloved host had the dinner of her dreams – and dream dinner guests – as she sat down to interview Downton Abbey's fan favorites, including Michelle Dockery, Laura Carmichael, Allen Leech, Hugh Bonneville, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Dancy and Kevin Doyle.NBC studios went all out for the television special, transforming an area of the set into an epic dining room fit for any royal, featuring a never ending wooden table atop a large, printed rug, and behind it a decorative wall full of ornate frames with glimpses of the show.Savannah captioned the behind-the-scenes photos with: "How amazing is this @todayshow set made to look like the dinner table at Downton Abbey?? Which fork do I use???"A post shared by Savannah Guthrie (@savannahguthrie)The epic transformationShe couldn't stop raving about the set's transformation, also writing on her Instagram stories: "Is this a dream?"MORE: Savannah Guthrie's personal revelation about body image is so inspiringMORE: Savannah Guthrie's latest work assignment leaves fans speechlessFans

Michelle Dockery and Laura Carmichael stick together on the red carpet at the premiere of Downton Abbey: A New Era held at the Metropolitan Opera House on Sunday (May 15) in New York City.

When the teaser trailer for “Downton Abbey: A New Era” premiered last year, it didn’t take the standard route of listing the cast for the film. Instead, the promo elegantly trumpeted the presence of Lord Grantham, Lady Grantham, et al.

Christopher Meloni-led  will return for season 3, the network announced Tuesday. They join the previously renewed , which was picked up through season 24.“The iconic  brand has long been synonymous with NBC and we couldn’t be more excited to bring back all three of these dramas for the 2022-23 season,” said Lisa Katz, President of Scripted Programming at NBCU Entertainment and Streaming.

Selome Hailu After a successful return to NBC over a decade after the series’ cancellation, ‘Law & Order’ has been renewed for Season 22. Additionally, spinoff “Law & Order: Organized Crime” will return for its third season.Dick Wolf’s beloved procedural drama originally premiered on NBC in 1990 and ran for 20 seasons until its cancellation in 2010.

The Late Show With Stephen Colbert has shut down production due to a “recurrence” of COVID-19.After Colbert returned to the show last week after testing positive for the coronavirus, a message posted on the show’s Twitter account on Monday (May 9) confirmed the show will be placed back on hiatus.“Stephen is experiencing symptoms consistent with a recurrence of COVID,” the post reads. “Out of an abundance of caution for his staff, guests, and audience, he will be isolating for a few additional days. The Late Show will not be taping new episodes until further notice.”Responding to the news, Colbert wrote: “WORST.

 have been suspended amid host Stephen Colbert's ongoing COVID-19 symptoms. The announcement was made in a tweet shared by s official Twitter account Monday, noting that the show will «not be taping new episodes until further notice.»«Stephen is experiencing symptoms consistent with a recurrence of COVID,» the tweet read. «Out of an abundance of caution for his staff, guests, and audience, he will be isolating for a few additional days.