I can certainly agree with not appreciating the final 20 minutes as much as the rest of the film. It's as if Altman said, "This has been good, but let's wrap it up!" and a number of endings are presented. But the "Upstairs Downstairs" drama is a favorite of mine, and the class consciousness is so very much wrapped up in the plot in these shows. This particular presentation is less a pleasure because of the murder mystery, but because of the cast. Everyone is brilliant, spot on, enjoyable to watch. Frankly, I'd prefer that Gosford Park did become a TV show, and I certainly recognize Downton as a follow up. Now that I've seen Downton, I need to re-watch Gosford to compare.
How many Altman films did/could become TV shows? MASH, Nashville, McCabe and Mrs Miller?