Downton Abbey‘s sixth season will be its last: Long live the King, or off with its head?

Downton Abbey, the most successful British drama of all time and one of the most widely-watched shows in the world, will end after its sixth season. Producers announced today that the upcoming episodes will be Downton’s last: Gareth Neame, managing director of Carnival Films, which produces the show, said “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.”

And Julian Fellowes, the creator of the show and the man responsible for writing every single episode, offered a heartfelt thanks to Downton‘s many fans:

The ‘Downton’ journey has been amazing for everyone aboard. People ask if we knew what was going to happen when we started to make the first series and the answer is that, of course we had no idea. Exactly why the series had such an impact and reached so many people around the world, all nationalities, all ages, all types, I cannot begin to explain. But I do know how grateful we are to have been allowed this unique experience.I suspect the show will always be a principal marker in most of our careers as we set out from here, and if so, I consider that a blessing and a compliment.

Many observers saw the end coming several weeks ago, when Maggie Smith suggested that the show couldn’t go on much longer, and had possibly outlived its welcome. The show that single-handedly sparked a worldwide craze for butlers among the super-rich has garnered 51 Emmy nominations, a record for a non-American show. Many of its stars have gone on to lustrous movie careers–perhaps none more notably than Lily James, who plays Lady Rose on Downton, and currently stars in the Cinderella reboot.

The final run of Downton Abbey episodes is filming now, and will begin airing in the U.S. in January of 2016.

Are you upset that the show is taking its final bow? Relieved? Did it, indeed, wear out its welcome? Or were you fully in the Downton groove?

(Photo credits: WENN)