We first reported this on Monday when it was still in the “not getting denied” rumor stage. But yesterday the press releases started flowing, and the rumor became official. Downton Abbey‘s Season 6 will be the last.

Carnival’s Managing Director and Executive Producer of “Downton Abbey,” Gareth Neame said, “Millions of people around the world have followed the journey of the Crawley family and those who serve them for the last five years. 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…”

Neame is putting a good face on it of course, but no one could miss how disinterested Fellowes was becoming with the series this last go round. But as they stated on the conference call, this might not be the last time you see the Crawley clan. Both Neame and Fellowes say they want to do a movie.

A movie would not be a bad thing. As the Christmas episode made obvious at the end of the lackluster season, working in hour-long segments for weeks on end is not Fellowes’ strongest suit. But something in the single two-hour one-off vein works quite well for him. Think of it as Gosford Park, but with Crawleys.

Of course, there’s a reason they pushed to keep it going, even if the cast can’t or won’t sign on for more seasons. As the press release notes:

It is the top PBS drama of all time, the most popular series in MASTERPIECE’s 44-year history, and one of the most-watched dramas on American television, frequently beating the competition in its Sunday night-time slot.

With 51 Emmy® nominations, more than any other British show in Emmy® history, “Downton Abbey” is one of the most honored series on television.

Season 5, which concluded on March 1, was seen by 25.5 million people. The season had a weekly average audience of 12.9 million viewers over its nine-week run.

But PBS should not fear the future. Fellowes may be down with his Downton dolls clockworking their way around their little Castle House, but he’s not done making period pieces. His next project is The Gilded Age, a companion piece to Downton Abbey, if you will. Set in the 1880s in New York City, it is about the sort of new monied aristocratic wannabes that populated the era. Think the Roosevelts and the Rockefellers. Perhaps we might even see a young Cora Levinson considering her options as to whether she should stay in the city and find a wealthy playboy, or head to London for the season and see if she could snag herself a title and a large estate. Currently it is in production as NBC, but so was Downton when it started life, before NBC Universal decided it would fit better on PBS.

Fellowes himself acknowledges that this show was a defining moment in his career, and probably for the entire cast.

“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.”

We’ve got a few more images from the final table read that were released after the announcement below.