Entertainment

Lady Mary and Jon Hamm Know 'Tough Justice'

by Alicia Lutes

Lord and Ladies, what I wouldn't give for a cop show that devolved into a heaping mess of caricatures of its stars' previous roles. Thankfully, Funny Or Die has quenched that thirst by imagining the mean streets of Chicago as policed by Lady Mary Grantham of Downton Abbey fame. Because nothing makes a crime procedural better than a bit of Tough Justice as dispensed by an Edwardian noblewoman, especially following that season four premiere. And when it's narrated by Jon Hamm and features professional TV cop Michael Chiklis, well, that just makes things all the more enjoyable.

Things start out fairly believable at first for the TNT spoof, showing Connie Tough as a non-dainty cop unafraid of the biggest baddies out there. They quickly spiral out from there into deepening vats of unbelievability while Hamm's voiceover becomes increasingly exasperated. Like when Chiklis suggests heading to the EL train to get more evidence and Dockery replies (in her British accent which has magically reappeared): "The elevated rail system…I'm not sure that's been invented yet" before unleashing her lacy black parasol and requesting to "Have Carson bring the car around."

Should that not be enough for you, the clip also pokes fun at Downton Abbey's race relations (a — spoiler alert — big topic for a particular inhabitant this season) and the neverending elephant in the room: poor, poor dead Matthew Crawley. Oh Matthew! Break out your finest white satin gloves, folks: this one is worth closer inspection, to be sure.

No word on what the Dowager Countess thinks of Lady Mary's new profession, though we're sure it's something extra snarky and possibly rude, but true and hilarious in equal measure.