Downton Abbey’s Creator Hinted There Could Be More Movies, But I Need The Grand Finale To Be The End

Though Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is perfectly positioned to end this beloved period drama, creator Julian Fellowes isn’t ruling out more Downton stories in the future. Since the original show’s premiere in 2010, Downton Abbey has taken the world by storm, introducing a lovable and complex cast of characters split between the high-society, upstairs Crawley family and the working-class laborers who populate their estate’s lower levels (and keep it running).

Throughout six seasons and two movies, viewers have watched both sides of the Downton estate fall in love, get married, grieve devastating losses, pursue their dreams, and deal with the looming terrors of war. Now, as the Downton Abbey clan prepares to brave the turbulence of the 1930s without the demanding voice of their beloved matriarch, Violet Crawley, the Dowager Countess of Grantham (the late Maggie Smith), it seems there are a few final lessons these characters must learn. What comes next, though? Should anything come next?

Julian Fellowes Won’t Outright Say The Grand Finale Is The End Of Downton Abbey

He’s Even Hinted At A Potential Way To Continue The Franchise

In an interview with Deadline, Downton creator Julian Fellowes was asked whether The Grand Finale truly is Downton Abbey‘s grand finale. His response was less conclusive than I anticipated:

“I don’t know. Every time I say, ‘Oh yes, that’s definitely it. Goodbye, and I’ll never do it again.’ Then, within a year, I’m back doing something. So I never say never anymore. But I think it’s the last with the original cast. They’ve done 15 years, and that’s a long time on a TV show. The young women who arrived in their early 20s are now in their late 30s, and they’ve all married, had babies, been divorced, and God knows what else, since we started the show.”

Of course, with the state of television and Hollywood being what it is, Fellowes’ refusal to proclaim Downton Abbey‘s third movie as the franchise’s absolute last-ever installment is understandable. Downton Abbey has been a critically acclaimed, consistent success. The title alone commands attention. Business-wise, it makes sense that Fellowes would leave the door open.

Creatively, though, as Fellowes teased during that same interview, there’s only one reasonable solution to keep Downton Abbey churning out more stories in the future. As we all know, the Downton estate has quite a few small heirs. Lord Grantham’s (Hugh Bonneville) eldest daughter, Mary (Michelle Dockery), had a son with her first husband, Matthew Crawley (the original “rightful” heir to Downton, played by Dan Stevens), and a daughter with her second husband, Henry Talbot (Matthew Goode). Mary’s younger sisters both have legitimate children, too.

Could Fellowes potentially bring Downton back to life by focusing on the next generation? As the historian and TV writer himself said, “Never say never.” I’m not convinced that continuing the show with a new cast would work, however. I doubt it could ever recapture the magical chemistry of the original.