The Crawley family is officially taking its final bow. With Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale arriving in theaters this Friday, creator Julian Fellowes has confirmed that the long-running saga really is coming to an end.
After six television seasons and two feature films, the beloved story of Lord Grantham, Lady Cora, their daughters Mary and Edith, and the loyal household staff is being wrapped up for good.
So why end it now? For Fellowes, the answer is simple. He never wanted the series to drift into the years leading up to World War II. That period, with its rise of fascism and the threat of Nazi Germany, did not fit the tone or spirit of Downton Abbey.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, Fellowes explained, “I didn’t really want to get into the Nazis and Germany and the lead up to the Second World War. I wanted to leave at a time when that had not yet become apparent as a threat.”
Instead, the new film is set in 1930, a moment Fellowes considers the beginning of what he calls the “modern age.” To him, this was the right point to close the story. The glamorous world of aristocrats, formal dinners, and traditional servants was already fading, and society was on the brink of massive change.
By stopping here, Fellowes allows fans to say goodbye while the charm and elegance of Downton are still intact, before history shifts the tone too dramatically.
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This choice mirrors another decision in Fellowes’ career. He and director Robert Altman placed Gosford Park, their earlier collaboration, in 1932 for the same reason. Both stories work best in a world that is still recognizable as part of the old order but standing right on the edge of transformation.
For many fans, the series already felt like it had ended more than once. The television finale gave audiences a touching goodbye after six years of episodes, and both previous films could easily have served as closing chapters.
But Fellowes wanted something more definitive. “The actors and everyone else had come to the end of this job, and it was time to set them free,” he said. In other words, while fans may have been ready for another visit to Downton, the time had come for both cast and characters to move forward.
Another factor shaping the timing was the passing of Dame Maggie Smith, who played the unforgettable Dowager Countess. Her sharp wit and biting one-liners became one of the show’s signatures.
Fellowes gave her character a grand farewell in the second film, complete with an emotional final scene that felt almost like a state funeral. Not long after, Smith died in real life, leaving the cast and crew grieving.
“We had said goodbye to Maggie on screen, but not quite to everyone else,” Fellowes explained. This last film became an opportunity to honor the rest of the cast and give them a proper ending as well.
That sense of closure matters to Fellowes, especially for the fans who have followed the Crawleys for more than a decade. The family and their household have become almost like real relatives to viewers who tuned in week after week and later lined up for the films.
Fellowes feels he owes them reassurance that the people they have grown to love will be all right. “I wanted to be sure that the public who had followed their fortunes felt happy and satisfied to say goodbye to these people,” he said.
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He also acknowledged the reality that the world of Downton is disappearing. “It is no longer going to be a world of white tie and footmen,” he explained. “That was on its way out. So we needed to be sure that they would be okay.”
By placing the final film in 1930, he closes the story while the Crawleys still feel at home in their world, yet also shows how they will adapt to the coming changes.
For fans, that means one last opportunity to enjoy the glamour, the drama, and the relationships that have defined Downton Abbey since it first premiered in 2010. It also means leaving the story on a hopeful note rather than following it into darker times.
Over the years, Fellowes has said goodbye to Downton Abbey more than once, but this time he is clear. The Grand Finale is the last chapter. It is a chance to revisit the world one more time, to see where the characters are headed, and to take comfort in the fact that they are ready to face the future.
For audiences, it is a farewell filled with nostalgia, affection, and the reassurance that even though the era of grand estates and glittering dinner parties is ending, the Crawleys will be all right.
With Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Fellowes has given his creation the ending he believes it deserves. A final celebration, a heartfelt goodbye, and the closure that fans have been waiting for.
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