Saturday, November 16, 2024

“Downton Abbey” Ends in the UK, Leaving the Door Open for a Probable Movie

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“Downton Abbey” ended tonight in Britain, with an apparently satisfying ending that left a lot of doors open for one more go.

It’s a happy ending, with no spoilers here, just enough to say the doors close on Downton with reportedly in everyone in fine fettle expecting the future.

Of course, the show ends in 1925, with Maggie Smith’s Dowager Countess still alive and quipping. This means that there are still two good years before the world economy starts to sour ominously. A movie could still take place in that time and have dramatic endings for some of the characters. The pay off would be a lot better for the show’s creators at $10 a pop than on public television.

So threats of a movie now seem more real. But it’s nice to know that  the TV series ends without great weeping or rending of garments. As I always said, no one wanted to get news of Violet Grantham’s death on Christmas Day.

All hail, “Dowton Abbey.” They were the Best Ensemble on television (save “Mad Men”). Now they will live on in misty memories.

The final season begins in the U.S. on January 3rd.

More “Downton” news imminently

Roger Friedman
Roger Friedmanhttps://www.showbiz411.com
Roger Friedman began his Showbiz411 column in April 2009 after 10 years with Fox News, where he created the Fox411 column. His movie reviews are carried by Rotten Tomatoes, and he is a member of both the movie and TV branches of the Critics Choice Awards. His articles have appeared in dozens of publications over the years including New York Magazine, where he wrote the Intelligencer column in the mid 90s and covered the OJ Simpson trial, and Fox News (when it wasn't so crazy) where he covered Michael Jackson. He is also the writer and co-producer of "Only the Strong Survive," a selection of the Cannes, Sundance, and Telluride Film festivals, directed by DA Pennebaker and Chris Hegedus.

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