What does "Downton Abbey" have to do with America today?

British economic journalist Stuart Varney, who hosts the Fox Business series "Varney & Co.," joined "Fox & Friends" on Monday to discuss the series and to explain its importance in regards to current U.S. politics.

"The politics of Downton are very important and it's important that they are popular in America today," Varney said. "Rich people, powerful people, in America today, are reviled. They're dismissed as fat cats who don't pay their fair share. We just hate 'em -- 'Rich people are evil' ... Yet, along comes this show 'Downton Abbey' -- rich people prominently featured and they're generous; they're nice people; they create jobs, for heaven's sake; they're classy; they've got style and we love 'em ... That show is wildly popular, which poses a threat to the left, doesn't it?"

HuffPost TV's Maureen Ryan wrote about her problems with "Downton Abbey" Season 3 and said, "The big problem during a large chunk of the season amounts to the following, more or less: 'Oh no, a very rich man is having to face the possibility of being slightly less comfortable!' It's fun to escape into a world of lush privilege when times are hard, but the tenor of the times also make it quite difficult to care about a well-to-do family having to trim its budget a bit."

For more on Varney's "Downton Abbey" rant on "Fox & Friends," head over to Mediaite.

Loading Slideshow...

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Downton's new footman Alfred Nugent

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Lady Mary, Lady Sybil and Anna

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Earl Of Grantham, Robert

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Alfred Nugent

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Mrs Hughes

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Mrs Hughes and Mr Carson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Dinner downstairs

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Mrs Hughes and O'Brien

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Alfred Nugent

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Mr Carson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Mr Carson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    O'Brien

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    O'Brien

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Tom Branson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Anna Bates and Thomas Barrow

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Carson and O'Brien

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Daisy

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Thomas and Daisy

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Alfred Nugent

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Robert

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Robert

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Robert and Carson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Robert and Carson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Lady Edith

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Anthony Strallan

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Lady Edith and Anthony Strallan

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Lady Edith

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Anna and Bates

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Bates

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Anna

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Anna

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

    Shirley MacLaine as Martha Levinson

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

  • Downton series 3 episode 1

Related on HuffPost: