‘Downton Abbey’ season 6 cast photo released without Allen Leech, Lily James

With the final season of “Downton Abbey” coming out later this year and on ITV and in early 2016 on PBS, now seems to be the right time to share the official cast photo, right?

Well, there’s no more reason to wait! You can see the official photo below, and obviously the sunset is symbolic of the fact that the sun is in face setting on what was at one point one of the biggest shows on TV. The photo itself is pretty similar to ones from past years, though there are some key omissions.

Allen Leech – At the end of last season Tom Branson made it clear that he was planning to move to America. We do still think it’s possible that he turns up for at least an episode or two in season 6; also, we feel like a spin-off series surrounding Tom and his life in America is one of the better ideas for a separate series that exists at the moment.

Lily James – The woman behind Lady Rose is also gone, as Rose was also planning a move far from Downton with her new husband. With James doing other projects and with her promoting “Cinderella” at the start of production for this season, we’re not sure if she will return or not.

Isis the Dog – Sadly, Isis on the show died during season 5, which became a subject of crazy speculation as to whether or not the dog was offed due to the terrorist organization bearing the same name. This was hastily denied.

This photo is ultimately still beautiful, and a reminder that the end is very much near.

If you missed it, we have a photo of another big “Downton Abbey” reunion that you can view right now over at the link here! Also, be sure to sign up now in the event you want some additional TV updates on just about everything we cover, sent right in your direction courtesy of our official CarterMatt Newsletter. (Photo: ITV.)