Blog: 'Downton Abbey' Returns For Season 3 On PBS

It's back! I can't believe it's been a year since we last watched this delightful series. The other good news is that it will be back for a fourth year, so don't worry about investing your Sunday nights-they will keep feeding our addiction.  Hollywood icon, Shirley MacLaine joins the season premiere episode as the American mother of Elizabeth McGovern's character, Cora. The fun begins this Sunday January 6, at 9 p.m. on PBS (check local listings).

The Great War is over and the long-awaited engagement of Lady Mary and Matthew is on, but all is not tranquil at Downton Abbey as wrenching social changes, romantic intrigues, and personal crises grip the majestic English country estate. Shirley MacLaine joins the much-loved cast, which includes Dame Maggie Smith, Elizabeth McGovern, Hugh Bonneville, Dan Stevens, Michelle Dockery, Jim Carter, Penelope Wilton and many others.

“No family is ever what it seems from the outside,” observes Smith’s shrewd character.

Sandi Berg is also a freelance journalist and writes about television for several magazines including Written By (Writer's Guild of America), Life After 50 and Whole Life Times Magazine.