If you’re waiting anxiously forDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale, sink your teeth into BritBox’s new period drama series,Outrageous, instead. Set to premiere in cinemas this September,Downton Abbey: The Grand Finalewill (most likely) be the final chapter for the Crawley family. Over six seasons and two movies, we’ve loved, grieved, laughed, and cried right alongside Lord Grantham (Hugh Bonneville) and his kin, and now it’s time to say goodbye.
What to watch instead? While BritBox’sOutrageousis as outrageous and provocative as the title implies, it’s certainly worth your time. Chronicling the lives of the notorious, real-life Mitford sisters,Outrageousis a darkly funny, stylish, politically charged deep dive into the downfall of the British aristocracy, the terrifying influence of fascism, family division, twisted marriages, and the unbreakable bonds of sisterhood.
While this may sound miles away fromDownton Abbey’s gentler, bittersweet vibe, the two stories have more in common than you might think. In fact,Outrageousmay provide an idea of what the Crawley family can expect asDownton Abbey: The Grand Finaledrags them into the 1930s,a decade marked by political turbulence, financial ruin, and unprecedented social upheaval.
Downton Abbey 3 And Outrageous Are Both Captivating Dramas Set In The 1930s
This Was A Turbulent Time In Society And For Aristocratic Families
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale’s first trailerteases the gorgeous fashion of the 1930s, Lady Mary’s (Michelle Dockery) expanded, well-photographed role in London’s high society, lavish gatherings, and the life the Crawley family are forced to endure without the strict, guiding hand of their beloved matriarch, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (the late Maggie Smith).
And yet, an air of finality lingers overThe Grand Finaletrailer’s footage, not just because we know that this is meant to beDownton’s last hurrah, but because there’s the sense that the Crawleys are being forced to say goodbye to the Downton estate as well.
There’s a shot in the teaser of Lord Grantham kissing his hand and pressing it against Downton’s historical façade, as if it’s the last time.Will the financial troubles of the Great Depression reach even the aristocrats huddled in the North of England?The Mitford family inOutrageouscertainly felt financial pressure on their grand estate.
A significant portion ofOutrageous’story is dedicated to the relative “hardships” faced by England’s most prominent families during this decade. It explores the wealth gap present within Britain’s oppressive class system, to the point where one of the younger Mitford sisters, Jessica (Zoe Brough), becomes increasingly interested in Spain’s simmering socialist revolution.
Considering the Crawley family allowed a movie to be filmed on their estate inDownton Abbey: A New Erabecause they needed funds to repair the roof, it’s not so difficult to believe that the economic instability of the 1930s will affect their standard of living in much the same way it affected the Mitford family.
Outrageous' Mitford Sisters & Downton Abbey’s Crawley Sisters Are Cut From The Same Cloth
They Were All Trying To Make Their Way In A Patriarchal World (Some More Extremely Than Others)
The Mitford sisters were, to put it plainly, infamous. While the eldest daughter, Nancy (Bessie Carter), was one of the most level-headed of the bunch, even she was corrupted by the lure of whirlwind romance and a desperate need for money; she was nowhere near as notorious as two of her other sisters, however.
Diana (Joanna Vanderham), the third eldest, and Unity (Shannon Watson), the fourth Mitford sister, were irrevocably changed by fascism’s propaganda machine, first through one of Britain’s most hated politicians, noted fascist Oswald Mosley (a name you may recognize fromPeaky Blinders), and later through terrifyingly close connections to Germany’s Nazi party. The political divide between Diana, Unity, and the rest of the family plays a major part inOutrageous’storytelling.
Of course, it’s hard to believe that a family as upstanding as the Crawleys inDownton Abbeywould indulge in such horrific extremism, but the similarity I’ve spotted between the Mitford sisters and the Crawley sisters, namely Mary and Edith (Laura Charmichael), but also Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) before she passed, is that they were all trying to navigate their way through a patriarchal world.
Mary’s battle for her inheritance, Edith’s plight to find her professional calling, and Sybil’s interest in women’s suffrage were ways for them to make sense of a society that refused to acknowledge their existence beyond their marital eligibility.
Outrageousis based on Mary S. Lovell’s definitive Mitford sisters biography,The Mitford Girls.
To a much more extreme (and, in Diana and Unity’s case, frightening) degree, everything the various Mitford sisters did within their respective political and professional spheres, they did for the same reason. They weren’t given a voice, so they sought a place where they belonged and could be heard, all the while testing the limits of their sisterly love and pushing their ideologies onto their family members.
Diana and Unity were unequivocally in the wrong, of course (they were also disturbingly unapologetic about their actions), and have since rightfully been condemned by the history books, but bothDowntonandOutrageousask how far women were willing to go to find their place in the world.
Nancy became a writer. Mary became co-owner of Downton. Edith became a journalist. Jessica became a civil rights activist. With their wealth and social status, the Crawleys and the Mitford sisters could do more than any lower-class woman. What made them choose one extreme path over the other?
While Downton Is Coming To An End, Outrageous Has The Potential For A Great Future
Outrageous Could Expand Beyond Season 1
If you’re looking for something that simply provides a similar atmosphere toDownton Abbey(and in these uncertain times, there’s nothing wrong with that), I’m afraidOutrageousmay not be the show you’re looking for. In that case,The Gilded Age,created byDowntonmastermind Julian Fellowes, might be more to your liking.
With a wealth of real-life history to pull from and an intriguing open-ended finale, there’s so much more thatOutrageouscould explore.
However, if you’re looking for something that explores similar themes, eras, and Britain’s dark history, includes plenty of family melodrama (likeDownton’s earlier seasons did) and provides a fast-paced character study,Outrageousmay be exactly what you need to keep you occupied while you wait forDownton Abbey: The Grand Finale.
There’s also hope thatOutrageouswill be renewed for a second series. Thankfully,the show’s stars agree and are interested in pursuing another season. With an 88% Rotten Tomatoes critics' score, a wealth of real-life history to pull from, and an intriguing open-ended finale, there’s so much more thatOutrageouscould explore.
New episodes ofOutrageouspremiere weekly on Wednesdays until July 16, only on BritBox.
Downton Abbey
Cast
Set in the early 20th century, Downton Abbey follows the lives of the aristocratic Crawley family and their servants in the fictional Yorkshire estate. The series explores themes of social change, romance, and intrigue against the backdrop of historical events, including the sinking of the Titanic, World War I, and the rise of the working class.
Outrageous
Outrageous is a historical drama released in 2025, focusing on the Mitford sisters during the 1930s. The series explores themes of betrayal, scandal, and heartache, as the sisters defy societal norms, resulting in widespread notoriety and even imprisonment.
