The cool thing is that in the case of Regency House, the generic meanness is completely built-in to the structure of the show. By the end of the run, the "Lord" of the manor was bemoaning the loss of such a rigid cultural class system, and that having a privileged class and a serving class made things run "so much more smoothly".

And they do have tasks -- different "events" and stuff that they have to prepare for. Which for the servants, given their usual schedules, created some really fun drama.