Aside from already holding the unofficial record of “Show Most Recommended To Moms,” the PBS Masterpiece series Downton Abbey has a new, more recognized title: The Guinness World Records has awarded it the honor of “Highest Critical Review Ratings For A TV Show,” noting that the period drama examining the upstairs/downstairs lives of English aristocrats and their servants is currently the most “critically well-received show in the world.” Previous record-holders include Mad Men, Modern Family, and Sons Of Anarchy—though none of these, not even Mad Men, earns the title of “TV Show You Like That Is Most Appropriate For Referencing During A Dinner-With-The-In-Laws Conversation,” which is another unofficial accolade we just gave it.
As a bonus (or tease) for American fans eagerly anticipating the series’ return in 2012, here’s the trailer for the second season that’s debuting this week in the UK—a frustrating fact that definitely puts Downton Abbey in the running for “British Show That Most Frequently Prompts Americans To Lament That British TV Is Just So Much Better.”