Why would Republican Conservatives be the ones to want to cut funding to PBS right when it’s “delivering such a soothing message about the benevolent rich†as Downton Abbey? If you were one of those flipping back and forth during the game last night – you weren’t alone.  Los Angeles Times Television Critic,  Mary McNamara chronicles the devices producers use to make Americans comfortable… very comfortable .. with a British era when the have nots really did have not. The servants are “part of the family†and we don’t witness them “chew on gristle and die in childbirth.†Probably the same reason “Gone with the Wind†is still such a great movie, it’s filtered through modern notions and nice lighting…. READ.