'Downton Abbey' Will Officially End After Next Season...But Might Get a Movie!

Well, "Downton Abbey" fans...we have good news and bad news.

The bad news is that the ITV/PBS show will officially be ending its run after this upcoming season (series for those of you in the UK). According to a statement from ITV, season six of "Downton" will indeed be the last one.

"Millions of people around the world have followed the journey of the Crawley family and those who serve them for the last five years," said show EP Gareth Neame. "Inevitably there comes a time when all shows should end and Downton is no exception. We wanted to close the doors of Downton Abbey when it felt right and natural for the storylines to come together and when the show was still being enjoyed so much by its fans. We can promise a final season full of all the usual drama and intrigue, but with the added excitement of discovering how and where they all end up."

The good news is that the sixth and final season might not be the last you see of "Downton Abbey." Neame mentioned in a press conference that they aren't considering a spin-off series of any kind, but that they "would be very interested" in putting together a "Downton Abbey" movie.

"It is definitely something we have contemplated," he said of the possibility of a "Downton" feature film.

That raises the question of whether Dame Maggie Smith would return as the Dowager Countess: Smith said that her next season would likely be her last, but the show later clarified that Smith would stay on board for as long as the show was on the air, and she just meant that the next season was likely the last for everyone. Her commitment didn't include any plans for a movie, so will she stay on board?