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 ᴅᴇᴀᴅline, 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 тιтle 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.

Why Continuing Downton Abbey With A New Cast Wouldn’t Work

Downton Thrived Because Of These Very Specific Characters

Downton Abbey is, above all else, a character-driven franchise. Yes, it’s luscious to look at, the attention to historical detail is immaculate, and the plot twists are frequent and memorable. That’s not why we kept watching, though. We watched because we wanted to see these characters grow, individually and, more importantly, together.

The Crawleys could not survive without their servants, and the servants could not survive without the Crawleys. Their interdependence was, and still is, fascinating to watch, all the more so due to their surprising but touching respect for one another inside the confines of Britain’s oppressive class system.

Sure, there were a few cast changes along the way, following the sudden deaths of beloved upstairs characters, or if a servant managed to find a way to pursue their dreams elsewhere. And yet, roughly 70% of the recurring cast that started in Downton Abbey season 1 made it to The Grand Finale.

That’s an incredible commitment, and it speaks to how well these characters work together on the page and screen. Whenever a character died or moved on, it was part of the larger story, a tragic or celebratory ending for a character that the audience had grown to love. We had everyone else to fall back on in those circumstances, though. Revisiting Downton without any of them, or in a very reduced capacity, wouldn’t make any sense.

Without Lord or Lady Grantham (Elizabeth McGovern), without Mary and Edith’s (Laura Charmichael) sisterly squabbles, without Mr. Carson’s (Jim Carter) deep, booming voice, Mr. Bates’ (Brendon Coyle) calm temperament, Mrs. Hughes-Carson’s (Phyllis Logan) maternal attention, and Thomas Barrow’s (Rob James-Collier) deviously tragic personality, Downton Abbey wouldn’t be the same. This group of characters made this show such a mᴀssive, global success. If you’re starting over with a new troupe, you might as well set the show on a different estate entirely.

Downton Abbey 3 Needs To Really Close Out The Franchise

It’s Already Set Up To Be The End

Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is the perfect note on which to end the franchise. Following the in-universe death of Violet Crawley and the real-world pᴀssing of Maggie Smith, The Grand Finale is sure to be an emotional film. Star Joanne Froggatt told ScreenRant that the upcoming threequel is a beautiful sendoff for the entire cast of Downton Abbey; one final adventure that brings their stories full circle.

The marketing campaign, similarly, is banking on this being the end, touting Downton Abbey‘s third movie as an emotional and heartfelt goodbye. “The place we’ll always remember,” “The family we’ll never forget,” “Everything has led to this,” and “It’s time to say goodbye” are all used in the Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale teaser trailer, setting the bittersweet mood for this long-awaited cinematic outing. There’s even a sH๏τ in the trailer of Lord Grantham laying his hand on Downton’s façade, as if he, too, is saying goodbye to the estate.

No, Fellowes, ITV, and PBS haven’t explicitly promised that Downton will return with a new cast, but even the very idea of a Downton “revival” with new people, even if they are connected to the characters we love so much, threatens to undermine The Grand Finale‘s entire message. I’d rather fall in love with a brand-new family than be constantly reminded of the one we’ve already parted ways with, wouldn’t you?

Nowadays, many stories have no real ending, but I believe endings, real, true endings, grant a story power. Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, and the entire Downton Abbey franchise, at that, deserve to go out on a definitive high note.