Is the end near for "Downton Abbey"? Not exactly.
Although series creator Julian Fellowes caused a bit of an uproar when he told The Wall Street Journal that he "didn't know if there would be a Season 6" but that the show "wouldn't go on forever," executive producer Gareth Neame has put rumors of the show's near end to rest.
“I can confirm that there are no plans to end the show after the fifth series. ITV commission each series on a year-by-year basis,” Neame said in a statement, according to Variety. “For now ITV have commissioned series five and that is what we are busy preparing.”
Although ITV isn't preparing for the end quite yet, Michelle Dockery (Mary Crawley) told Vulture that if people continue to leave "Downton" -- ahem, Dan Stevens -- it won't be able to go on.
"If more people start leaving, that’s when it can’t go on," Dockery said in September. "Like if Maggie Smith decided not to do any more, I think that really is the end. One of the great things about the show is the ensemble: It’s as much about Edith and Mary as it is about Daisy and Ivy. So if more people start dropping off, I just don’t think it will work."
"Downton Abbey" airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on PBS.
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