In "Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale," the lasting charm of Julian Fellowes' series is succinctly summarized when one of its characters opines, "Sometimes I feel like the past is a more comfortable place than the future." It's a mission statement for the continuing popularity of the franchise — six seasons of TV and now a third, and presumably final, big-screen adventure — writ large.

This is a world where the furrowing of an eyebrow counts as an action sequence, and where a character says "not in a month of Sundays!" as an expression of disbelief. It's a simpler, more elegant time, an escape to another world, which is especially welcome in our current state of chaos.

The "Downton Abbey" TV series wrapped in 2015, and "The Grand Finale" follows 2019's eponymous movie and its 2022 follow-u

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