‘Downton Abbey’ season 4: Julian Fellowes hopeful on series’ future on ITV

“Downton Abbey” season 3 is, save of the Christmas special, through airing over on ITV, and with that in mind there is really only one question that fans in the UK are waiting for an answer for: why hasn’t ITV renewed this show, already? This is the network’s most-popular drama series not only in the country, but its reach across the globe is undeniable. It routinely pulls in over five million viewers weeks in America on PBS, and this is with the show actually airing its new episodes months after their premiere date in Great Britain.

As disconcerting as this may feel, there is still no reason to think that a season 4 is out of reach. Just in case you want some more validation here on this subject, read what creator Julian Fellowes had to say at a recent event in London all about giving fans and opportunity to learn what goes on for the series behind the scenes:

“We are being very sort of coy about it … We don’t know. We haven’t had a commission. But I think it would be pretty odd if there wasn’t.”

There are still contract negotiations that would need to be done with some actors for season 4, with the most notable series regulars being Maggie Smith (the Dowager Countess) and Dan Stevens (Matthew). The recurring roles would also need new deals. Ultimately, we do not expect this waiting game to last much beyond the Christmas special, if even that long. Fellowes would need time to pen new scripts, and given the ratings here we do not see ITV really waiting that long to begin with.

For everyone in America, remember that Sunday night marks the premiere of the “Downton Abbey Revisited” special on PBS, which in narrated by Angela Lansbury. We will have a little bit more on this show later this week.