It's True: "Downton Abbey's" Sixth Season Will Be Its Last
by Michael Ausiello
March 20, 2015


Good news, "Downton Abbey" fans: You will not be subjected to Lady Mary’s nursing-home years.

And the reason brings us to some bad news: The PBS phenom is going the way of Isis the dog.



Multiple sources confirm to TVLine that "Downton‘s" upcoming sixth season will indeed be its last.

The decision to end "Downton" was mostly a practical one — the cast’s contracts expire at the end of Season 6 and, with one or two possible exceptions, the actors are ready to move on.



A spokesperson for NBC Universal (the parent of "Downton" producer Carnival) declined to comment for this story.

“You can keep the show going without Matthew and Sybill, but you can’t continue it without the entire Crawley family,” an insider notes.



Setting an end date now allows "Downton" creator Juliian Fellowes to send the series out on a satisfying note, before turning his attention to his long-gestating NBC drama "The Gilded Age".

Earlier this month, the Dowager Countess herself, Maggie Smith, acknowledged that the end was near. “I can’t see how it could go on,” she told the Sunday Times. “I mean, I certainly can’t keep going. To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We’re into the late 1920s.”

http://tvline.com/2015/03/20/downton-abbey-ending-season-6-cancelled/

Wow, that's going to upset a lot of people! I'm one of the few who has never seen it but I hear it's really good.

:( So the rumors are true. I am going to miss it.

Hopefully it goes off with happy endings for all, including Thomas Barrow lol.

Confirmed: "Downton Abbey" Ending after Season 6
by Lisa de Moraes
March 26, 2015


NBCUniversal-owned Carnival Films, the producer of "Downton Abbey", today announce that Season 6 will be the final season of the worldwide hit TV drama.

The news isn’t entirely surprising, given that last January NBC Chairman Bob Greenblatt told TV critics his network’s long-gestating Julian Fellowes’ period drama "The Gilded Age" was moving forward.

Today will, however, be marked as a black day for PBS, given that "Downton" single-handedly put its Masterpiece franchise back on the map and in the black.





Today’s announcement was made by Carnival in partnership with ITV; "Downton Abbey" is the highest rating UK drama of the past decade across any channel, with an average of 11 million viewers over the course of the five series, including Christmas specials.

The success of Fellowes’ drama, in which he took a classic old-fashioned format and layered it with ER-like pacing and West Wing’s multiple storylines, created a push-pull between goals of NBC and public television.





Julian Fellowes made the announcement on the long-rumored end.

“The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard. People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea.

Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain. But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience. I suspect the show will always be a principal marker in most of our careers as we set out from here, and if so, I consider that a blessing and a compliment.”






NBC tapped the "Downton" creator to create and executive produce "The Gilded Age" — a sweeping fictional epic of the millionaire titans of New York City in the 1880s — more than two years ago.

But with "Downton" being a big global hit that and Fellowes writing every episode of the intricate period drama, "Gilded Age" was put on the back burner, with NBC and Universal TV executive giving the Oscar and Emmy winner carte blanche to come work on the NBC series when he is ready/done with "Downton".

In January, however, reporters’ ears perked up when Greenblatt said at a news conference, “I think he’s at a point now where he’s able to start developing and writing our new show,” adding, “Hopefully this show will be coming to life sometime in the next season.”




The drama is the most nominated British show in Emmy history with 51 noms. Last season’s Season 5 which ended on March 1 was seen by 25.5M viewers.

http://deadline.com/2015/03/downton-abbey-ending-season-6-1201399099/

Wow, that's going to upset a lot of people! I'm one of the few who has never seen it but I hear it's really good.
I'm quite the opposite, thank god it's ending, I never understood why people watched it. And no I never watched it I just base by opinions based on the fans gushing over it on Youtube clips.

I'm quite the opposite, thank god it's ending, I never understood why people watched it. And no I never watched it I just base by opinions based on the fans gushing over it on Youtube clips.
You really shouldn't comment on something you haven't seen. The acting and writing are outstanding. I really like this show the characters draw you in and are are likeable, including the villain.

Why Downton Abbey Ended After Season 6 (https://www.cbr.com/downton-abbey-ended-season-6-canceled/)

Downton Abbey is one of the most popular historical TV dramas of all time, so why did it end after Season 6, when the show was still firmly on top?