IE 11 is not supported. For an optimal experience visit our site on another browser.

First look: Shirley MacLaine vs. Maggie Smith on 'Downton Abbey'

The dames of "Downton Abbey" have traded their first televised barbs! Shirley MacLaine, who is joining the season three cast as Lady Cora's mother, Martha Levinson, was honored on June 7 with a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. During the ceremony, Elizabeth McGovern (who plays Lady Cora) introduced a clip from the upcoming season, which aired June 24 on TVLand. But it
Shirley MacLaine and Maggie Smith.
Shirley MacLaine and Maggie Smith.Getty Images / Masterpiece Classic / Today

The dames of "Downton Abbey" have traded their first televised barbs! 

Shirley MacLaine, who is joining the season three cast as Lady Cora's mother, Martha Levinson, was honored on June 7 with a lifetime achievement award from the American Film Institute. During the ceremony, Elizabeth McGovern (who plays Lady Cora) introduced a clip from the upcoming season, which aired June 24 on TVLand. But it wasn't just any clip -- it was the first meeting between Martha and the sharp-tongued Dowager Countess (played by Maggie Smith). 

Check it out:

Clearly, fans of the show are in for some great dialogue between the two ladies! As Joanne Froggatt (who plays maid Anna) told us, Smith and MacLaine not only have "amazing" chemistry, the two characters will "get to have some spiky conversations between them."

"Downton Abbey" season three will air sometime in 2013 on PBS.

We can't wait!

Who do you predict will win the majority of season three's verbal throwdowns: the Dowager Countess or newcomer Martha Levinson? Tell us on our Facebook page!

 

 

Related content:

More in The Clicker: