The Downton Abbey franchise is over — at least for now. The final film in the trilogy, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, is out, and scored the best rating out of all three films.
The series aired for six seasons between 2010 and 2015. However, in 2018, it was confirmed that the story will continue with a feature-length film, which kicked off a new trilogy. The final entry, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, has just set a franchise record for the films, debuting with a thrilling 91% Certified Fresh score from the critics.
The original Downton Abbey series scores slightly higher than the movie, with a 92% overall score across all six seasons, and 93% from the audience. When it comes to the films, The Grand Finale takes the spotlight with its 91% rating out of 96 reviews. It also received a stellar 96% rating from the audience, alongside a Verified Hot badge.
The best rating from the audience came for the 2022 sequel, Downton Abbey: A New Era, which features a near-perfect 97% score from the audience, with a Verified Hot badge. It also holds an 86% Certified Fresh score from the critics out of almost 200 reviews. The 2019 film features the lowest critics’ score, both in the film series and in the franchise as a whole, with an 84% Certified Fresh score from the critics, but 94% from the audience, with the Verified Hot badge.
The critics’ consensus for the final entry notes that the threequel is “Soothing as a cup of tea while providing a satisfying amount of closure, The Grand Finale is a worthy sendoff for Downton Abbey.” As per the audience, the overall agreement is that “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale delivers a satisfying and heartfelt closure to our beloved saga — a farewell truly befitting the Crawleys.”
Loud and Clear Reviews’ Joe Botten argues, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale succeeds because it knows the difference between an ending and a conclusion.” The Hollywood Reporter‘s Frank Scheck called it “an elegant farewell,” with The Independent’s Clarisse Loughrey noting “This is about as graceful and fitting an endnote as you could hope for.”
Is The Grand Finale the End of Downton Abbey?
The cast of Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale movie dressed up, leaning on a fence looking off screen
Image via Focus Features
Downton Abbey began as a TV series in 2010, and it’s still as wildly popular a decade and a half later. However, all good things must come to an end, and Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale does seem to be the end of the series following the Crawleys.
In a recent interview with producer Gareth Neame, he confirmed that he has “no real plans” for new entries in the Downton Abbey franchise. However, he teased, “Who knows what the future holds?” The producer highlighted, “I think first and foremost is hoping that the fans love this movie and feel it’s the final button on the whole thing.” Based on the enthusiastic reviews, it’s likely they succeeded.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is currently playing in theaters.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale
Release Date
September 12, 2025
Runtime
123 Minutes
Director
Simon Curtis
Writers
Julian Fellowes
Producers
Liz Trubridge, Nigel Marchant
Hugh Bonneville
Robert Crawley
Laura Carmichael
Edith Crawley
Phyllis Logan
Elsie Hughes
Robert James-Collier
Thomas Barrow