‘Downton Abbey’ To End After Season 6? New Rumors About Final Season

It might be time to bid farewell to the members of the Crawley family. New reports indicate that Season 6 of “Downton Abbey” will be its last.

The news comes from multiple sources at TV Line that claim to have inside information on the production of the popular PBS period drama. Apparently, the decision is largely a practical one, as many of the show's cast members will see their contracts expire after Season 6. While a turbulent round of talks to renew their deals would be possible, TV Line reports that pretty much everyone involved with the show is ready to move on.

It was previously reported that Maggie Smith, who plays Violet Crawley, told the Sunday Times she couldn’t see herself continuing past Season 6.

“I mean, I certainly can't keep going,” Smith said. “To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We're into the late 1920s.”

While Smith's cheeky remarks are hardly proof that the show will end, other actors have reportedly been seeking new opportunities in the United States, hoping to use their “Downton Abbey” success as a springboard to more work.

Perhaps the best evidence that the show might wrap comes from the fact that creator Julian Fellowes already has another TV iron in the fire. His new show, “The Guilded Age,” has been in production limbo at NBC, but a release from the "Downton" shooting schedule might give Fellowes the time he needs to finally get the new project started.

As Vanity Fair points out, if Season 6 is to be the last for "Downton," Fellowes also will have the time and opportunity to work out satisfying farewells for the show's most popular characters. If reports from TV Line are true, characters like Edith (Laura Carmichael), Mary (Michelle Dockery) and Carson (Jim Carter) have only nine episodes left to find everything they’ve been looking for.