"Downton Abbey" season 4 gets a premiere date

"Downton Abbey" fans might want to find a calendar and mark down this date: Jan. 5, 2014.

That's when the fourth season of the British drama will premiere in the U.S., PBS announced Tuesday. The show will then run through Feb. 23.

"Downton" broke records for PBS with season 3, becoming the highest-rated drama in the network's history.

The fourth season will bring the return of Shirley MacLaine as Lady Cora's mother, Martha Levinson, as well as some newcomers including Tom Cullen (as Lord Gillingham, an old family friend of the Crawleys who visits the family as a guest for a house party), Nigel Harman (as Green, a valet), Dame Harriet Walter (as Lady Shackleton, an old friend of the Dowager Countess) and Gary Carr (as a jazz singer named Jack Ross).

Watch the video below to see some of the "Downton" cast members share their hopes for season 4:

Watch Downton Abbey: The Cast on Hopes for Season 4 on PBS. See more from Masterpiece.

Tell us: Are you looking forward to a new season of "Downton Abbey"?