( EW.com ) -- Downton Abbey has an official return date : Season 4 of the period drama will premiere on Jan. 5 , 2014 . The series will then run for eight straight weeks , until Feb. 23 . Season 3 broke ratings records for PBS , becoming its highest-rated drama in history . Next season will air in Britain in the fall before coming to America , and will include the return of Shirley MacLaine as the moneyed and less-mannered Martha Levinson , as well as several new faces such as Tom Cullen , Joanna David , and Gary Carr ( playing the show 's first black character ) , among others . When EW talked to Abbey exec-producer Julian Fellowes earlier this year , he said that season 4â€²s `` spine '' will be ( no spoilers ) , `` How Mary rebuilds her life . '' See the full story on EW.com . CLICK HERE to Try 2 RISK FREE issues of Entertainment Weekly . © 2011 Entertainment Weekly and Time Inc. All rights reserved .
` ` ' Abbey '' will return in September 2014 . The new series will run for eight weeks . There will be several new characters .