Upstairs Downstars and Call the Midwife previews

This Sunday Masterpiece Classic takes viewers back to 165 Eaton Place for another season full of scandal, romance, and heartbreak, all set against the tense backdrop of pre-World War II Europe. Here's a brief look at what's in store on Upstairs Downstairs:

In the year before WWII, 165 Eaton Place reopens its doors and welcomes viewers back into the lives of its inhabitants, upstairs and down. Lady Agnes and Sir Hallam’s family is now complete with the addition of two small children, but Sir Hallam is drawn into dangerous waters by his preoccupation with the threat of Nazi Germany and the return of troubled Lady Persie. Lady Agnes catches the eye of charismatic American multi-millionaire Casper Landry, and Sir Hallam’s aunt, Dr. Blanche Mottershead, has made herself comfortable in the house after Lady Maud’s death. Meanwhile, life downstairs adjusts to the absence of Rose and the addition of the spirited new nursery maid, Beryl. With upstairs and downstairs harboring life-changing secrets, and the menace of war creeping ever closer, the smooth running of Eaton Place threatens to come to a halt.

Life, love, and international politics come to a boil at 165 Eaton Place. Keeley Hawes (Wives and Daughters), Ed Stoppard (Zen), and Claire Foy (Little Dorrit) return for Season 2, with guest stars Alex Kingston (ER) and Emilia Fox (David Copperfield).

Here's a sneak peek from Episode 1:

Watch Upstairs Downstairs, Season 2: A Scene from Episode 1 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

And finally, here are links to my reviews of season one:

• Part One: "The Fledgling"
• Part Two: "The Ladybird"
• Part Three: "The Cuckoo"

Call the Midwife precedes the Upstairs Downstairs premiere with a brand-new episode (Sunday is quite the night for Anglophiles!). Here's a short preview of what's in store:

Watch Call the Midwife, Episode 2 - Preview on PBS. See more from Call the Midwife.

You can read my recap/review of Call the Midwife's first episode here.