ITV has confirmed the hugely popular Edwardian drama Downton Abbey will end after series 6.

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Update 2 (March 26): There’s a little bit of good news today for fans who are upset that the show is coming to an end! Fellowes has revealed that showrunners are open to the idea of creating a movie after season 6. “We would be very interested in that,” he said when asked on a conference call today. “[A movie’s] definitely something we’re contemplating, it would be great fun to do.”

This could mean that some aspects of the show will be left open-ended by the end of season 6 so they have material for a movie.

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Update (March 26): ITV and the show’s creator have now confirmed the news.

“The Downton journey has been amazing for everyone aboard,” said creator Julian Fellowes. “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.”

Photos from the last script-read were also released today. In the three photos you can see Fellowes speaking to the group, a wide shot of the entire (very large) table, and Jim Carter, Maggie Smith, and Joanne Froggatt sitting next to one another:

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Original story (March 20): TV Line is citing multiple sources who have confirmed that Downton Abbey’s sixth season will also be the show’s last. The reason for the show ending comes down to the cast’s expiring contracts, and that many of the actors are ready to depart after six years.

“You can keep the show going without Matthew and Sybill, but you can’t continue it without the entire Crawley family,” one of TV Line’s sources said.

Murmurs of Downton Abbey ending gained steam earlier this month when Maggie Smith said that the show’s next series would be its last (“They say this is the last one, and I can’t see how it could go on,” she said, “I mean, I certainly can’t keep going.”).

There’s also the lingering issue of creator Juliian Fellowes, who needs to leave Downton before he can get his upcoming NBC drama The Gilded Age off the ground.

One of the nice things about Downton Abbey ending is that the show won’t have to continue killing off major characters when contracts end. We’re also happy to know Smith will see the show through its ending.

We can’t wait to see how the show bids farewell to viewers. Hopefully some big surprises are in store so the family can go out with a bang.

PBS and ITV surely won’t be thrilled that the show isn’t going for a couple more seasons. The show is huge in the U.S. and U.K., with the season 5 premiere pulling in 8.4 million viewers for PBS in January.

Downton Abbey series 6 is expected to premiere this September in the United Kingdom and in early 2016 in the United States. Filming is currently underway.