So many TV shows reach a peak season, then after a while, they become stale. Viewers stop watching and producers are forced to cancel the show. This certainly happened with Glee. This certainly is not happening with Downton.

Downton Abbey‘s viewership is as high as it has ever been. The story has not become remotely stale in my mind, but even more rich than it was in the beginning. So why close the doors now? Obviously, the show-runners want to end on a high note, so that it doesn’t go on too long and become stale as I’ve described.

Furthermore, Dame Maggie Smith made an excellent point not too long ago that with all the time-jumps the show has made, the Dowager Countess has to be well into her nineties by now, and if not yet, she would get to be too old fairly quickly if the show continued any longer. And to be brutally honest, I’m not sure the show would do as well without Violet Crawley. So rather than chancing the show’s survival without her, the show is coming to an end with her—causing much depression among fans everywhere. In fact, the Great Depression has already started:

Carson taking down his name. Robert talking about turning back time. Empty rooms. Closing windows and doors. Lady Mary and Anna talking about the times that they’ve shared together. Cars driving off into the distance. “Time to Say Goodbye”, as performed by Lauren Aquilina, playing in the background of it all. Tears, you guys. ACTUAL TEARS.

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