‘Downton Abbey’ season 3 spoilers: Brendan Coyle talks the future

How long is “Downton Abbey” as a series going to last? When you look at a TV show in America, this is often not a question you typically see yourself asking until around the fifth or the sixth season. However, British television tends to be a medium where shows not only end quicker, but also run for fewer episodes a season.

So how long will this show ultimately stick around for? If you want an answer to this question, you don’t have to look any further …. at least when it comes to the issue of whether or not the cast has been clued in to the subject in the past. Speaking as a part of a new interview with Radio Times, here is what the man behind Bates in Brendan Coyle had to say:

“I can pretty much say all of us know when Downton is going to end … This is a show with a finite life. If we bring this into the ’50s, it’s Emmerdale.”

In all real seriousness, the most likely scenario for this show is likely going to be that it survives for another couple of years before coming to a close. The good news is that with there only being so many episodes shot a season, the actors still have time to do some other things. However, we know that some of the younger actors and actresses (see Michelle Dockery) are interested in getting a film career going in America.

How long do you think that “Downton Abbey” should last as a series, or do you think it is a mistake in some way to already be thinking about the end of the show now?