Do you want the good news or the bad news first? We’ll start with the good. Downton Abbey has been renewed for a fourth season, according to an announcement by ITV. Now comes the bad news. While fans can look forward to the eight-episode fourth season, don’t expect to see much of Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens). From Sunday Express,

"Dan Stevens isn’t returning to the series. He will probably do the first episode of the fourth series, but that will be it."

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A good portion of Downton Abbey’s upstairs plot revolves around the love lives of the Crawly daughters, Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery), Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) and Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael). Now it looks like fans of the PBS series may get the chance go back in time and witness the Earl (Hugh Bonneville) and Countess Grantham’s (Elizabeth McGovern) romance.

According to BBC News, Julian Fellowes is planning a prequel to Downton Abbey. Said Fellows of the origin couple:

"They had a slightly troubled courtship, because she was in love with him before they married, as we know, and he married her entirely for her money," said Fellowes, speaking at the Bafta Screenwriters' Lecture series.

"I sort of feel there's something quite nice in there because he's a decent cove, and so he feels rather guilty about this which has affected their marriage beyond that."

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On today’s Daytime Confidential podcast Luke Kerr, Jamey Giddens and Jillian Bowe dish about soap operas, talk shows and TV pop culture with Larry Flick and Keith Price on SiriusXM’s The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick.

The DC gang dishes about the bloodbath at The Young and the Restless. Flick weighs in on The Bold and the Beautiful’s summer storyline and the state of Days of our Lives. Jamey Giddens spills some tea about Sean Kanan’s return to GH. The topic turns to the host of new talk shows premiering this fall. Should GH fans be cheering for Katie to succeed?

In the last hour the topic turns to Glee and the primetime Emmy awards this weekend. Larry asks Luke, Jamey and Jillian to predict the winners in each category. Tune in to find out who they chose and then see who was on the money when the Emmy awards are handed out on Sunday.

Follow Larry Flick on Twitter. Follow Keith Price on Twitter. Visit SiriusOutQ.com for more on The Morning Jolt with Larry Flick.

All this and much more on today’s Daytime Confidential podcast.

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