TV & FilmPBSdownton abbey pbsMichelle Dockery

Michelle Dockery On 'Downton Abbey,' Period Dramas

Why 'Downton' Is Not The Typical Period Drama
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FILE - In this file photo released by PBS, Dan Stevens as Matthew Crawley, left, and Michelle Dockery as Lady Mary are shown in a scene from the second season on "Downton Abbey." The program was nominated for an Emmy award for outstanding drama series on Thursday, July 19, 2012. The 64th annual Primetime Emmy Awards will be presented Sept. 23 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel and airing live on ABC. (AP Photo/PBS, Carnival Film & Television Limited 2011 for MASTERPIECE, File)

What makes "Downton Abbey" so much more addicting than other period dramas? It's soap opera-like qualities, according to Michelle Dockery.

“I think some period drama can be quite alienating, but 'Downton' isn’t,” Dockery, who stars as Lady Mary on the PBS drama, said in an interview with Harper's Bazaar. “This is going to sound quite, um, pretentious, but someone said that it’s like a soap written by a poet ... I used to get quite defensive of people saying it’s soap-like, but it kind of is."

Dockery earned an Emmy nod for her "Downton" role. And if the show's success over its first two seasons is any indication, Season 3 will be just as juicy -- especially with the addition of cast member Shirley MacLaine as Lady Cora's (Elizabeth McGovern) mother.

"I sort of had to make her personality up," MacLaine told TV Guide of her upcoming role. "She is from Long Island and finally lands at Downton Abbey and sees what's happening to the place when everyone's coming back from the war. [What makes her interesting is] her reactions to tradition and the class system. I do my best to be kind to tradition, but frankly think it should shift."

Downton Abbey" Season 3 premieres in January 2013 on PBS (check local listings). For more on Dockery, head over to harpersbazaar.com.

Emmy Nominees 2012
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series(01 of22)
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Zooey Deschanel, "New Girl"Lena Dunham, "Girls"Edie Falco, "Nurse Jackie"Tina Fey, "30 Rock"Julia Louis-Dreyfus, "Veep"Melissa McCarthy, "Mike and Molly"Amy Poehler, "Parks and Recreation" (credit:NBC)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Comedy Series(02 of22)
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Alec Baldwin, "30 Rock"Don Cheadle, "House of Lies"Louis CK, "Louie"Jon Cryer, "Two and A Half Men"Larry David, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"Jim Parsons, "The Big Bang Theory" (credit:CBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Comedy Series(03 of22)
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Mayim Bialik, "The Big Bang Theory"Kathryn Joosten, "Desperate Housewives"Julie Bowen, "Modern Family"Sofia Vergara, "Modern Family"Merritt Wever, "Nurse Jackie"Kristen Wiig, "Saturday Night Live" (credit:NBC)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Comedy Series(04 of22)
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Ed O'Neill, "Modern Family"Jesse Tyler Ferguson, "Modern Family"Ty Burrell, "Modern Family"Eric Stonestreet, "Modern Family"Max Greenfield, "New Girl"Bill Hader, "Saturday Night Live" (credit:Fox)
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Comedy Series(05 of22)
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Elizabeth Banks, "30 Rock"Kathy Bates, "Two and A Half Men"Margaret Cho, "30 Rock"Dot-Marie Jones, "Glee"Melissa McCarthy, "Saturday Night Live"Maya Rudolph, "Saturday Night Live" (credit:NBC)
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series(06 of22)
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Will Arnett, "30 Rock"Bobby Cannavale, "Nurse Jackie"Jimmy Fallon, "Saturday Night Live"Michael J. Fox, "Curb Your Enthusiasm"Jon Hamm, "30 Rock"Greg Kinnear, "Modern Family" (credit:NBC)
Outstanding Comedy Series(07 of22)
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"The Big Bang Theory""Curb Your Enthusiasm""Girls""Modern Family""30 Rock""Veep" (credit:ABC)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Drama Series(08 of22)
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Kathy Bates, "Harry's Law"Glenn Close, "Damages"Claire Danes, "Homeland"Michelle Dockery, "Downton Abbey"Juilianna Margulies, "The Good Wife"Elisabeth Moss, "Mad Men" (credit:Showtime )
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Drama(09 of22)
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Hugh Bonneville, "Downton Abbey"Steve Buscemi, "Boardwalk Empire"Bryan Cranston, "Breaking Bad"Michael C. Hall, "Dexter"Jon Hamm, "Mad Men"Damien Lewis, "Homeland" (credit:AMC)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Drama Series(10 of22)
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Anna Gunn, "Breaking Bad"Maggie Smith, "Downton Abbey"Joanna Froggatt, "Downton Abbey"Archie Panjabi, "The Good Wife"Christine Baranski, "The Good Wife"Christina Hendricks, "Mad Men" (credit:AP/PBS)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Drama Series(11 of22)
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Aaron Paul, "Breaking Bad"Giancarlo Esposito, "Breaking Bad"Brendan Coyle, "Downton Abbey"Jim Carter, "Downton Abbey"Peter Dinklage, "Game of Thrones"Jared Harris, "Mad Men" (credit:HBO)
Outstanding Guest Actress In A Drama Series(12 of22)
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Joan Cusack, "Shameless"Loretta Devine, "Grey's Anatomy"Martha Plimpton, "The Good Wife"Julia Ormond, "Mad Men"Jean Smart, "Harry's Law"Uma Thurman, "Smash" (credit:AMC)
Outstanding Guest Actor In A Drama Series(13 of22)
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Dylan Baker, "The Good Wife"Jeremy Davies, "Justified"Ben Feldman, "Mad Men"Michael J. Fox, "The Good Wife"Mark Margolis, "Breaking Bad"Jason Ritter, "Parenthood" (credit:AMC)
Outstanding Drama Series(14 of22)
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"Boardwalk Empire""Breaking Bad""Downton Abbey""Game of Thrones""Homeland""Mad Men" (credit:AMC)
Outstanding Lead Actress In A Miniseries Or Movie(15 of22)
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Connie Britton, "American Horror Story"Ashley Judd, "Missing"Nicole Kidman, "Hemingway & Gellhorn"Julianne Moore, "Game Change"Emma Thompson, "The Song of Lunch (Masterpiece)" (credit:HBO)
Outstanding Lead Actor In A Miniseries Or Movie(16 of22)
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Kevin Costner, "Hatfields & McCoys"Benedict Cumberbactch, "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece"Idris Elba, "Luther"Woody Harrelson, "Game Change"Bill Paxton, "Hatfields & McCoys"Clive Owen, "Hemingway & Gellhorn" (credit:AP)
Outstanding Supporting Actress In A Miniseries Or Movie(17 of22)
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Frances Conroy, "American Horror Story"Jessica Lange, "American Horror Story"Sarah Paulson, "Game Change"Mare Winningham, "Hatfields & McCoys"Judy Davis, "Page Eight (Masterpiece)" (credit:FX)
Outstanding Supporting Actor In A Miniseries Or Movie (18 of22)
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Tom Berenger, "Hatfields & McCoys"Martin Freeman, "Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece)"Ed Harris, "Game Change"Denis O'Hare, "American Horror Story"David Strathairn, "Hemingway & Gellhorn" (credit:Getty)
Outstanding Miniseries Or Movie(19 of22)
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"American Horror Story""Game Change""Hatfields & McCoys""Hemingway & Gellhorn""Luther""Sherlock: A Scandal In Belgravia (Masterpiece)" (credit:History Channel)
Outstanding Variety, Music Or Comedy Series(20 of22)
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"The Daily Show With Jon Stewart""The Colbert Report""Real Time with Bill Maher""Saturday Night Live""Jimmy Kimmel Live""Late Night With Jimmy Fallon" (credit:Comedy Central)
Outstanding Reality - Competition Program(21 of22)
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"So You Think You Can Dance""The Amazing Race""Dancing With the Stars""Top Chef""Project Runway""The Voice" (credit:NBC)
Outstanding Host For A Reality Or Reality-Competition Program(22 of22)
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Cat Deeley, "So You Think You Can Dance"Phil Keoghan, "The Amazing Race"Ryan Seacrest, "American Idol"Betty White, "Betty White's Off Their Rockers"Tom Bergeron, "Dancing With the Stars" (credit:ABC)

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