'Downton Abbey' Season 3 ratings drop for second episode

"Downton Abbey" is off to a solid start ratings-wise for its third season in the United Kingdom, but it is not as robust as the show was earning a year ago.

The season premiere earned just over 9 million viewers, down about 200,000 viewers from its Season 2 premiere. Now the second episode's ratings are in -- the show lost over half a million viewers between the Season 3 debut and the second episode.

Episode two earned 8.4 million, which includes the roughly 280,000 people who watch the show delayed on ITV1+1. That total is down about 1 million from the second episode of Season 2 a year ago. The episode did still earn a 31.8 share in households, which means almost a third of the television viewing audience for that timeslot was tuned in to "Downton."

If you're just dying to find out what's happening with everyone's favorite British aristocrats, read our episode summary. And congratulations to star Maggie Smith on her Emmy win Sunday night (Sept. 23) for Supporting Actress in a Drama.