When “Downton Abbey” took the world by storm six years ago, fans embraced a cast of new faces and veteran actors.
With the PBS series departing for good March 6, we’re already on the case regarding where these fine actors will turn up next — and their odds for successful followup projects.
Hugh Bonneville (Lord Robert Crawley)
“Downton” has been very good to Bonneville, who’s leveraged his popularity as Lord Robert to nab a role in George Clooney’s film “The Monuments Men” and the family movie “Paddington.” Next he co-stars with Gillian Anderson in the film “The Viceroy’s House” as Lord Mountbatten.
Odds for success: Even. Bonneville has been a working British actor for 20 years. “Downton” made him a star.
Michelle Dockery (Lady Mary)
Dockery has done rather nicely for herself. She will star in the new TNT drama “Good Behavior,” the story of con artist Letty Dobesh. She’ll also co-star with Geoffrey Rush in the film “Consider Yourself,” the story of “Oliver” composer Lionel Bart.
Odds for success: 6-to-1. Wit and porcelain skin may not carry the day for the chilly Dockery, who will have to exert some star power.
Laura Carmichael (Lady Edith)
All those sniffles and long sighs tested Lady Edith’s mettle during her “Downton” run, but she emerged as the character most prepared for the modern world. That tenacity has also been a boon for Carmichael, who will co-star with Rosamund Pike (“Gone Girl”) and David Oyelowo (“Selma”) in the film “A United Kingdom,” the story of Prince Seretse Khama of Botswana, who caused an international kerfuffle when he married a white woman from London (Pike) in the late 1940s.
Odds for success: 4-to-1. Carmichael could have a very nice career in supporting roles.
Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley)
Many viewers thought Stevens was out of his mind when he left “Downton” after Season 3. His luck has changed, though, because he recently signed to do a pilot for TNT called “Legion,” in which he plays a schizophrenic who falls in love with a fellow patient (Aubrey Plaza).
Odds-for-success: 5-to-1. Can Stevens lure his genteel fan base over to the gritty world of TNT?
Joanne Froggatt (Anna Bates)
After playing the (sometimes annoying) goody-two-shoes, Froggatt was due for a radical change. And she found it in “Dark Angel,” a miniseries about Victorian serial killer Mary Ann Cotton. She’ll play Mary Ann.
Odds for success: 3-to-1. Froggatt will always work.
Penelope Wilton (Isabel Crawley)
She’ll make a children’s movie: co-starring with Rebecca Hall and Bill Hader in “The BFG.”
Odds for success: 2-to-1. If the first director who hires you after “Downton” is Steven Spielberg, you can rest on your laurels.
Elizabeth McGovern (Lady Cora)
She is developing a film with “Downton” creator Julian Fellowes, “The Chaperone,” in which she would play the companion of a teenage Louise Brooks as the future Hollywood star heads to Broadway.
Odds for success: 10-to-1. McGovern was never the strongest part of “Downton.” Uphill climb.
Allen Leech (Tom Branson)
Leech was a surprise as the chauffeur who married into the aristocracy. During the “Downton” run, he had a very nice supporting role in the hit film “The Imitation Game.” A new film, “Hunter’s Prayer,” about an assassin who helps a young woman avenge the death of her family, awaits release.
Odds for success: 3-to-1. A well-liked charmer on his way up.