'Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale's Posters Give a Last Look at Fan Favorites

One of our favorite traditions for Downton Abbey was the release of the yearly "Character Posters" that would arrive every season like clockwork, a few weeks before the new season premiered. (Longtime fans may recall the uproar that occurred one year when the image of Lord Grantham and Lady Edith was missing from the collection, pulled at the last minute due to a stray water bottle accidentally left sitting on the mantle.) The films haven't been quite as thorough in releasing posters for the entire ensemble, as Focus Features and ITV/PBS naturally follow different marketing schedules and formats.

However, with the final film on the way, Focus Features has done us all a solid and released an entire series of character posters, covering all of the primary leads returning for the final film. They're not quite as good as the ones that were released for the TV show; feature films tend to photoshop the heck out of movie posters, and you can tell that aggressive perfecting of human beings was applied here, and not always to best effect.

That being said, there's a joy in returning to tradition that feels right and proper for the final outing of the series. If this is to be Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale, then it's time to pull out all the stops and make this the grandest finale Downton Abbey has ever seen.