Whoa, Is Downton Abbey Really Ending For Good?!

PBS' hit series is officially coming to an end after six dramatic seasons

By Sydney Bucksbaum Mar 20, 2015 10:38 PMTags
Downton Abbey, Season Five, ChristmasCourtesy of ©Nick Briggs/Carnival Films 2014 for MASTERPIECE

It's truly the end of an era for Downton Abbey fans.

The hit PBS drama is coming to an end...and it's sooner than you think!

Downton Abbey's upcoming season six will be its last, according to reports. While the decision to end the network's biggest show might come as a surprise to fans who have watched the British upstairs/downstairs drama since its series premiere, it actually makes a lot of sense, as all the cast contracts are set to expire at the end of season six.

In fact, Downton star Alan Leech, who plays Tom Branson on the show, told E! News before season five's premiere that he couldn't see the show going on past season six.

"In my heart of hearts, I can't see it going more than two more [seasons]," Leech said. "I think the period of time we want to tell, we're coming to the end that us as actors can keep playing these characters."

By the time season five ended, fans were left with quite the romantic episode, as Downton's resident butler Mr. Carson and housekeeper Ms. Hughes finally made it official and got engaged. Plus, Mr. Bates confessed to having killed Green, but he got an alibi thanks to the work of Mr. Moseley and Mr. Baxter and the family said goodbye to Tom and Sybbie, who are leaving for America.

Are you glad that this cancelation news will allow Downton creator Julian Fellowes to craft the perfect series finale, or do you wish the show was sticking around for more seasons? At least we'll all be able to get more of Fellowes' brand of drama, as his next project is the NBC drama The Gilded Age.

TVLine first reported this news.