If you’re like me and most of the U.S., you’re addicted to “Downton Abbey” like a fat kid’s addicted to Cheetos. No one can really pinpoint what makes the show so great, but personally I think it’s the atmosphere, the cinematic quality of the camerawork, and the way the characters interact with one another that keeps us tuning in. It’s hard to describe what’s so awesome about a British show featuring some stuffy 1920’s rich people and their land dispute, but it just works, guys. Also, the Dowager Countess has some wicked one-liners.
At any rate, the writers over at Sesame Street know a hit when they see one, and over the years they’ve spoofed “Mad Men” and “True Blood” without even batting an eye, even though I doubt any of their core audience is familiar with either of those shows. I’m not sure my four-year old could appreciate Vampire Bill’s affinity for bottled blood, but when it’s incorporated into a skit with a cow and a rhyme scheme, she’s all over it.
It seems the peeps over at Sesame Workshop realize there are probably a lot of parents watching along with their kids, because they keep giving us little bright spots of adult humor sandwiched in between Elmo skits and cartoons. The latest, of course, is based on “Downton” and makes good use of a pun. Like most Sesame Street sketches, it’s a bit repetitive, but the guy doing Carson’s voice is pretty good, and if that’s what’s holding you over until you get the next disc from Netflix, so be it.