Airing for six seasons on PBS — and on Channel 3 in its home country of England — “Downton Abbey” primarily follows the affluent and influential Crawley family in early 20th-century England. The expansive ensemble cast includes not only the Crawleys but also their elite friends and a variety of housekeepers, ground staff, and others who work for the Crawleys and their peers. The franchise’s portrayal of this era is so convincing that some people speculate if “Downton Abbey” is based on a true story. It isn’t, but the frequent query highlights the franchise’s authenticity.

While it’s fairly common these days for movies to get sequel TV series featuring the original cast, it’s less typical for TV shows to receive continuation films. However, “Downton Abbey” has had three feature-length movies released in theaters following the conclusion of the original series, each both tying up loose ends from the show and exploring entirely new plotlines.

Even though this is a ranking of the television series and its three films, let’s be clear: there isn’t a bad installment in the “Downton Abbey” franchise. The “worst” item on this list is still excellent. Nonetheless, some of the movies indeed stand out more than others, as we’ll explore below — along with where the original series ranks compared to the film trilogy in terms of quality.

The general consensus on all three “Downton Abbey” films is that they resemble episodes of the show, albeit slightly longer and with a bigger budget. In this case, that’s precisely what fans hoped for. As for the second movie, “Downton Abbey: A New Era,” the increased budget and expanded scope manifest through the characters’ journey to France to investigate a villa bequeathed to Violet Crawley (Maggie Smith) years before, which she is now leaving to her great-granddaughter Sybbie (Fifi Hart).

Fans and critics are somewhat divided on whether 2022’s “A New Era” surpassed the preceding film — simply titled “Downton Abbey” — or if it was a slight decline. We leaned toward the latter because it lacks the narrative finesse of the first movie. Focusing on a smaller group of characters is acceptable, but it sidelines several others who appear yet contribute little, seemingly included just for fans to recognize them. Nevertheless, “A New Era” is a valuable addition to the “Downton Abbey” storyline and shows that the movie adaptations were no one-off venture.

The initial “Downton Abbey” movie needed a significant event to structure its plot and validate its existence — beyond appearing as a prolonged episode of the show, inexplicably taking four years to materialize. The visit from the king and queen to the Crawleys adequately serves this purpose, especially as the preparations for the royal visit erupt into a series of personal disputes and captivating drama that “Downton Abbey” fans thoroughly enjoy.

The 2019 film also deserves credit for feeling so much like an actual movie. The additional time and budget that a film is given versus a single episode of a television show — even a show like “Downton Abbey” — is not insignificant. Here, that time and money results in a production even more lavish than the already-lush series was, and a scope truly befitting the big screen for those who were lucky enough to experience it that way. You certainly couldn’t just drop the “Downton Abbey” movie into rotation with the series and pass it off as just another episode, and that’s a huge compliment. 

As of now, “Downton Abbey: The Grand Finale” is to be considered exactly that. It is intended to be the final “Downton Abbey” film, and also to bring the curtain down on the franchise as a whole. Anyone who has been watching movies and television for a long time knows that it’s difficult to ever fully trust a property that is claiming to be ending itself, but here’s hoping “The Grand Finale” really does mean the end of “Downton Abbey” because it would be extraordinarily difficult to top it.

How do you even begin to properly send off a saga that encompasses six seasons, two films, and over 100 different characters with just a single 124-minute movie? Answer: by having the timeline move into the 1930s and having the Crawleys face a massive scandal at the same time. Needing to both recover from said scandal while also figuring out how the next generation of Crawleys are going to carry on the family legacy was a masterstroke. It’s not only a way to bring closure to the Crawleys as we’ve known them up until now, but sets the stage for their future, even if it’s a future we won’t actually get to see on screen. At least, not until the inevitable “Downton Abbey: The Next Generation” debuts 10-20 years from now. 

This isn’t going to be a big surprise to anyone, but the original “Downton Abbey” series still can’t be beat. As admirable a job as the movies have done of continuing the quality and legacy of the show, and as worthy as they are to be included in the overall franchise, this is the type of universe that needs entire seasons to truly breathe. It also allowed for a mix of smaller stories that could be wrapped up in one or two episodes, and overarching ones that stretched across entire seasons, if not the whole run of the show. 

Plus, those 100+ characters we mentioned that make up the complete “Downton Abbey” ensemble? Many of them have entire arcs that begin and end on the show and never cross over into the movies at all. Like any TV show, some “Downton Abbey” seasons are better than others. But like the various pieces of the overall franchise, even the lesser seasons of “Downton Abbey” are still fantastic and none are even remotely skippable. 

For newcomers, it might seem like a massive time investment, not to mention how much work it is to keep up with all those characters. But like the best shows with giant ensembles and stories that stretch for years, it is absolutely worth all of the time and effort you put into it.