'Downton Abbey' Season 6 Spoilers - Dowager Countess Dies? Maggie Smith Quitting PBS Series After New Episodes - Will Show End Next Year?

How long will the drama on Downton Abbey play out on PBS's Masterpiece Theater? Well, if you ask star Maggie Smith, who portrays the Dowager Countess of Grantham in the hit series, it can't possibly go on for much longer. According to a new interview with the 80-year-old actress, season 6 of the series should be her last, and possibly the end of the show completely. Find out more of what the acclaimed actress said below!

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"They say this is the last one, and I can't see how it could go on," Smith told the Sunday Times this week. "I mean, I certainly can't keep going... To my knowledge, I must be 110 by now. We're into the late 1920s."

She certainly has a point about her character, so we might be seeing her death being written into the script. With that said, should the whole series come to an end since she'd be gone?

According to a statement from the series' spokesperson, nothing can be confirmed just yet.

"We began filming [the sixth season] a month ago and we'll be filming until August," a representative for the series told People. "The show is commissioned on a season-by-season basis so we just don't know yet and that's always been the case."

What do you think will happen after these new episodes air? Will the show come to an end? Let us know what you think in the comments section below!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, Smith also opened up about her newfound celebrity status thanks to the popular series.

"One isn't safe after doing Downton. What's sad is I've gone through my whole life without any of that," she explained in the same interview. "I could go round galleries and things on my own and I just can't do it now. If someone decides to get at you, you can't get away."