Phew! After too many major character deaths in the previous series, Downton Abbey series 4 star Michelle Dockery (who plays Lady Mary) says not to expect departures this year.

Although she could be bluffing to avoid any spoilers, Dockery’s reasoning for no major deaths is the fact that there have already been a couple of major ones that the characters and viewers have struggled to deal with.

“It has to remain as the ensemble, otherwise I don’t think we can keep going,” she told TVLine in a spoiler reporter. “The core reason for the show’s success is that it’s a huge ensemble of such great characters. It was [one thing to lose] Sybil and Matthew. But any more of that, I think it will start to falter.”

Late last week we shared an interview with Dockery in which she said that the show couldn’t continue without Maggie Smith and her character.

Related: Watch the Downton Abbey series 4 trailer.

Though we’re relieved to hear that we may not see any major players die in the upcoming series, we have to confess that those moments are some of the most tense and surprising in the television show. And let’s face it: We want to be shocked, no matter how hard it is to cope with!

Downton Abbey series 4 premieres Sunday, September 22 on ITV in the U.K. and on January 5 in the United States.

Do you think the show needs a death or two to keep it surprising, or can they use other plot points to create shock value?