Fans of the Downton Abbey series have been delighted with the positive reviews (including our own) for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. The latest in the saga should find its audience this weekend, even if it does not take the box office crown. The iconic British TV series has all the grand spectacle and fun cameos you’d hope for, while still giving us the emotional impact we expect from the large ensemble.
With the end of the Downton Abbey trilogy, a lot is riding on Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale. The movie needs to give us not only an end cap to these movies, but to the franchise as a whole. With six additional seasons and dozens of characters to give a fond farewell to, the ending was always going to pull at our heartstrings. Below, we break down the finale of The Grand Finale.
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After Robert Crawley (Hugh Bonneville) and Cora Crawley (Elizabeth McGovern) leave the mansion, Lady Mary Crawley (Michelle Dockery) leads her family back inside. The following morning, the others leave the house, with a sweet goodbye to Edith (Laura Carmichael), resulting in the trailer line “Long Live Downton Abbey.”
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After a few moments of quiet, Mary sees various figures who occupied the halls of Downton Abbey over the years. The first is her husband, Matthew Crawley (Dan Stevens). A younger Mary and Matthew dance through the halls, and slowly the room fills with other characters.
With the room full, Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) walks through the crowd, smiling at Mary without saying a word. Finally, Mary sees her sister, Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay), and the ghost soon disappears. Lady Mary walks past the portrait of the Dowager Countess once more. Text flashes across the screen: “Dedicated to Dame Maggie Smith.”
Is there a mid-credits scene in Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale?
Yes, there is a short series of check-ins with the characters in their lives away from Downton. After the loving homage, we get quick check-ins with various members of the staff. Carson (Jim Carter) sits in his house with his wife, Elsie (Phyllis Logan), as the two read their books.
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Bates (Brendan Coyle) and Anna (Joanne Froggatt) play with their baby. Throughout Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, Anna’s pregnancy indicates that this scene is a slight time jump ahead. Robert and Cora live at the Dower House, as do Edith and Bertie. The Parkers now handle the house, with Andy (Michael Fox) serving as the lead butler and Daisy (Sophie McShera) as the house cook.
To close out the mid-credits sequence, we see Lady Mary sitting in Downton with her family. Like the previous generations of the Crawleys, Mary has turned the castle into her home. The children will be the next to own and run Downton, and the cycle is due to restart.
What comes next for Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale?
In theory, Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale is the end of the series as a whole. However, the ending does open the door for potential new avenues for a spin-off series to take. After all, they could easily make more episodes about future generations of Downton, allowing the actors to pop in for small roles instead of requiring them to portray these characters over complete season arcs. This also opens the door for recasting, in the vein of The Crown. There does not appear to be any obvious push for more Downton Abbey while The Gilded Age is on, but do not write off the possibility for more in the next five to six years.
Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale was released on September 12, 2025. Focus Features distributes.
