'Downton Abbey' Season 6 News: Show Boss Reveals Big Reason Why Show Goes Off-Air
Apparently, things would have been different for PBS' hit period drama TV series "Downton Abbey" if not for the decision of this one key cast member.
A report from The Sun cited executive producer Gareth Neame admitting to the media outlet that the show would have lasted a bit longer if Dame Maggie Smith, who plays as the Dowager Countess Lady Violet Crawley, didn't call it quits.
"We easily could have gone for a seventh season, but if I'd have said 'We haven't got Maggie' it would have been a shadow of itself," Neame said.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Nonetheless, the plan to end the run on the sixth lap has been working fine for everyone.
"We all feel very blessed," the EP maintained. "Nobody regrets ending when we did." He adds, "We have a final season that's as strong as the first because we quit while we were ahead."
He shares, "We had the ambition that we had a complete show."
In the same report, Gareth once again discussed the long-rumored Downton-movie of which he and co-writer, Julian Fellowers, "are keen" to see it materialize on the big screen.
He updated that as of the moment, there's still no script or "firm plan" about the film project. However, the possibility of making one is more likely than never.
Fans better be on the lookout for more information about this issue in the coming year, he said.
The final season is now set to premiere in the US airwaves in the coming weeks, but even so, Smith admits that she still hadn't seen any episode of "Downton."
CBS News recently had a run in with the 81-year-old living stage and screen legend. When she was asked about the issue, the actress blatantly replied: "No."
She did, however, reveal that she was sent a boxed set of the series and, given the free time she had, there could be a possibility that she will watch it.
"Downton Abbey" begins Season 6 in the US on Sunday, Jan. 3, at 9 p.m. on PBS Channel.
