'Downton Abbey'
The fourth season of "Downton Abbey" will premiere on PBS next Jan. 5. Wikipedia

U.S. viewers have some time before the fourth season of “Downton Abbey” premieres in January, but that doesn’t mean we can’t preview the drama that lies ahead. With a couple of major deaths happening season three, executive producer Gareth Neame teased what fans about what they can expect moving forward.

Mary’s Love Life

After viewers watched Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens) and Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) go back and forth for a few seasons, Matthew’s death shocked them in the season-three finale. Leaving Mary a widow with an infant will definitely prove for an interesting season four -- especially with the casting of a couple of romantic suitors.

But fans should not fret over Mary moving on from Matthew too quickly. Neame told TVLine that love will not be a main focus for Mary next season. “It’s important to say that audiences are not going to want to see Lady Mary get back in the saddle by the first commercial break of the next episode and just find a new guy,” the executive producer explained. “People wouldn’t want that. People were really invested in that relationship.”

However, this doesn’t mean that Mary won’t get hit on. Neame said that as long as she doesn’t just say, “‘OK, let’s go for it,’” viewers should be open to potential love interests.

As we previously reported, “Downton Abbey” has already cast two men for Mary -- Tom Cullen and Julian Ovenden. Cullen will be making his way on screen as Lord Gillingham, while Ovenden will be playing a character named Charles Blake.

Branson Moving On

Mary’s not the only one forced to move on after the death of a loved one. Although the death of Lady Sybil Branson (Jessica Brown Findlay) played out in episode four of season three, her widower Tom Branson (Allen Leech) will find himself becoming a “bigger and bigger character” in season four.

“He is almost Robert’s right-hand man now,” Neame told TVLine. “So he has a lot to do in the new season.” Season four for Branson will hold professional and personal accomplishments, along with a “new partner.”

What storyline are you looking forward to the most in season four of “Downton Abbey?” Let us know in the comments section below.

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