‘Downton Abbey’ season 5, episode 7: Stories for Isis the Dog, Edith help ratings

We wondered for a while if the ratings for “Downton Abbey” were going to stop bleeding over on ITV, but now, we’re wondering if the show has found its mojo once again. (Warning: Spoilers ahead for Americans!)

Last night, the new episode featuring Lady Edith’s return to the show, and also a controversial story regarding Isis the Dog (surprising, we know) drew a total of over 8 million viewers live, and then over 8.3 million once you add it viewers on the catch-up channel. These are easily the best numbers for the show in many weeks, and up more than half a million from the week before.

Also notable here is that this is the first time that the drama has defeated “The X Factor” UK in the ratings this season, and become the #2 program on the night. BBC’s “Strictly Come Dancing” has a pretty firm hold on the top spot, which it has for the majority of the past couple of years.

Do we feel like these ratings really shift or change anything when it comes to the long-term future of “Downton Abbey”? For the time being, we would say that this is doubtful. The reality here is that the show is six years old, and with Julian Fellowes having “The Golden Age” waiting for him over on NBC in America, there is no real need to drag this show out to the point that viewers are tired of it. We’d rather see season 6 be the last, and for the show to end with fond memories than frustrations.

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