"Downton Abbey" Season Three Premiere Reaches 7.9 Million Viewers on PBS

That's nearly double from last year.

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Downton Abbey is officially a hit in the US. According to The Hollywood Reporter, the season three premiere on PBS last night - which aired last September in the show's native UK - pulled in an impressive 7.9 million viewers, nearly double from the season two last year. Last night's 2-hour episode also bested all other networks except for CBS, which was airing The Good Wife and The Mentalist in the same timeslot.

The British period drama series has received a lot of success stateside in the past, which no doubt attributes to these new high ratings. In addition tons of word of mouth, the show has been awarded numerous Emmys, Golden Globes, and SAG awards.

Last year, the season two finale pulled in 5.4 million viewers.

RELATED: 15 British TV Shows You Should Be Watching

[via The Hollywood Reporter]

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