‘Downton Abbey’ season 3 finale spoilers: Elizabeth McGovern hints at 2013 end
Is “Downton Abbey” season 3 really the beginning of the end? While it seems to be the general consensus among many associated with the ITV series that there is still more story to tell moving forward into next season, there are inevitably still questions about whether or not this story will find a way to come to a close soon. More so than in America, it is the British tradition to end a series before it starts to wane in quality, largely so that viewers are left with a good taste in their mouths versus something bitter, disappointing, and with ratings that are a shell of their former selves. If only someone had passed along this idea to “Desperate Housewives” and “Jersey Shore” here…
With all of this in mind, should you really find the following comments courtesy of one Elizabeth McGovern to be that shocking? Speaking as a part of a new interview with the Mirror, the actress (best known for playing Lady Cora) suggested that there may be only one more season left in “Downton Abbey” before the final curtain is dropped:
“We still have the Christmas special to come and then I think we definitely have one more series in us … Nothing has officially been said, but I think we are going to go for one next year. I would hate for it to outstay its welcome.”
There are already a number of questions moving forward to next season, as Dan Stevens and Maggie Smith are currently up in the air when it comes to their return. (A health scare from the latter has led to an even greater cause for concern.) The show could go on without Matthew and the Dowager Countess, but it would clearly not be the same. The silver lining here is that each season is only a small handful of episodes, and thus it is not the same commitment as shooting a whopping 22 (or in some cases 24) episodes of a “Grey’s Anatomy” type show in America.
How much life do you think that this series has, and do you think that next year could and should be the end?
tina lofty
November 4, 2012 @ 7:09 pm
Hope that Dan Stevens would be talked into signing for the fourth season which might be the last so hopefully the end will be a good one ,but of course Michelle
Dockery who such a good actress will be able to give us a good ending but with Dan it will be more memorable since they started this drama together,they should end it together, more romantic.
DApper
November 4, 2012 @ 1:34 pm
With many of the cast now seemingly headed for other opportunities, and the notoriously short runs of Brit series, another season seems reasonable. Be nice to hold onto them forever, but it seems that the logical end would be the unfortunate demise of Lord Grantham and succession of the next earl; hopefully Matthew, but with contracts not done, who knows? The symbolic end of Robert’s era has been the point of the series since the start, and it follows that must be part of the eventual end. There does seem to be a distant possibility of a foreshadow in the burning of the estate by the Irish rebels (Tom), and perhaps Downton itself is in danger as a symbol of the end of the time of big houses. Devastating fires were not uncommon in homes like that one, and nothing ushers in change more quickly. I’d assume we might leave with Maggie’s character gone, Robert’s character gone, and Cora in place as the new Dowager Countess. Sad, but possible.