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For A More Civilized Age

Dan Stevens Might Be Leaving Downton Abbey. Stiff Upper Lip, Downton Fans, Stiff Upper Lip

by Rebecca Pahle | 12:53 pm, November 25th, 2012


Blast! It’s being reported that Dan Stevens, a.k.a. Matthew Crawley, a.k.a. Mr. How Is Your Hair Always So Perfect I Don’t Understand, won’t be returning for season four of Downton Abbey.

The departure hasn’t been confirmed by ITV, but according to the Sunday Express a “well-placed production source” (so have your grain of salt ready) said that Stevens “isn’t returning to the series. He will probably do the first episode of the fourth series, but that will be it.”

The actor will also appear in this year’s two-hour Christmas special, which the Sunday Express describes as a “tearjerker.” (Not incredibly surprising—we are talking about about a show that’s the lovechild of Masterpiece Theater and a soap opera, here.)

Full disclosure: I’m not caught up on the current season of Downton Abbey. I watched the first three or four episodes and then stopped, put off by how the relationship drama between Matthew and Mary JUST. KEPT. GOING. Seriously, it’s always something with those two. So I’m not incredibly distressed by this news, though I imagine a lot of people will be.

As long as Maggie Smith stays on, I’m good.

(via: Digital Spy)

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  • http://www.facebook.com/debstarrentsscott Debs Tarrents Scott

    I do believe (unless something has changed) that this is Maggie Smith’s last season. Please correct me of I’m wrong… please.

  • Rebecca Pahle

    NOOOOO! One of the showrunners said she wouldn’t be killed off (you’d best not kill off Dame Maggie!), but that doesn’t mean she won’t leave some other way. I hope not. That would be awful.

    (Caveat: Unless health problems get in the way. I would rather have Smith off my TV screens and still know that she’s alive making the world a better place with her presence.)

  • http://www.facebook.com/TahliaMerrill Tahlia Merrill

    Well, I’m with you, Rebecca. I love Downton, but got sick of the Mary and Matthew drama, so I only watch it for Bates, who I think is the true star of the show. Matthew can leave anytime he wants as far as I’m concerned.

  • http://www.facebook.com/debstarrentsscott Debs Tarrents Scott

    I so agree, Tahlia. I love the servants much more than the household…and Bates is my favorite.

  • http://www.facebook.com/debstarrentsscott Debs Tarrents Scott

    All right…I’ve done a bit of looking round and it seems I have been proven wrong by the BBC…it was just a rumor. I have never been more happy to be wrong in my life.

  • http://twitter.com/supriyavpw Supriya W

    The Express is a tabloid newspaper which has been very unreliable in the past. They “spoiled” a story plot for the 3rd season finale which was grossly inaccurate. Until itv makes a statement, it is best to ignore this source for the time being.

  • http://twitter.com/CuriousArtemis Bridget

    I really like his character, and I’d be sad to see him leave. But I hope if he does leave that they make it plausible. Which they won’t. They’ll have him die, or leave Mary, or something, just to keep her on the show. I’m just so glad they didn’t get rid of Branson, and still can’t forgive them for Sybil. Now if Bates could just go curl up in a corner and die I’d be happy….

  • http://www.heroinejewelry.com/ Rose – Heroine

    WHAT! Yeah, the melodrama got a little old, but that Christmas episode was so sweet for me. It was so nice to see them grow up a bit, Mary especially but Matthew was getting to be a drip too. If he leaves I hope Mary matures a bit and picks herself up so we don’t have to see her in mourning for the rest of the series.

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