Downton Abbey: The Finale (PG)

Julian Fellowes brings Downton to a cosy, affectionate close.

Set in 1930, this final chapter finds British high society adjusting to changing times while life at the Abbey bustles along in its familiar upstairs-downstairs rhythm. Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) faces scandal as a divorcee, while Carson (Jim Carter) and Mrs. Patmore (Lesley Nicol) prepare for retirement. Lord and Lady Grantham (Hugh Bonneville and Elizabeth McGovern) wrestle with financial strain, Uncle Harold (Paul Giamatti) turns up with a dashing advisor (Alessandro Nivola), and Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) hatches a plan to restore Mary’s standing with help from Noel Coward (Andrew Froushan). Alongside these threads, Lady Merton (Penelope Wilton) plans the county fair and Moseley (Kevin Doyle) finds comic relief in his screenwriting ambitions.

Fellowes juggles this sprawling cast with brisk pacing, weaving in witty banter and affectionate callbacks to 15 years of stories. While the drama feels gentler than in the show’s early years, the warmth of the ensemble keeps it engaging, with Dockery, McGovern, and Doyle shining in particular.

Light, funny, and steeped in nostalgia, it is less daring than Downton once was but perfectly content to wrap things up with comfort and charm.