PBS' "Downton Abbey" third season finale concluded with 8.2 million viewers.

The British period drama drew many criticisms for its finale as viewers expect the Christmas special to be filled with good tidings however it began with a tragedy as character Matthew Crawley died from a car crash.

The show's third season is the most-watched series on PBS since Ken Burns' 1990 series, "The Civil War." Creator and writer, Julian Fellows said he may be returning to more leisurely pace, sources for British network ITV are quoted as saying in London's Daily Mail.

"Not here [in the UK]. Most of the soap operas always use the Christmas special to kill huge quantities of their characters. So they have trams coming off their rails, or cars slamming into each other or burning buildings. It's a general clear-out," Fellowes told The New York Times.

"The first Christmas special we did of 'Downton,' it was pretty Christmas-y. It was the proposal, which was very nice. But that isn't particularly the tradition of these Christmas shows here. In a way, they're supposed to be more dramatic than an ordinary episode of the series. So in that sense, we were fitting into the ethos," he added.

"Audiences across the world have been captivated by the ups and downs of Mary and Matthew's relationship, culminating in their wedding. Fans have enjoyed what has become a solid and loving marriage. It is for this reason that the producers decided Matthew and Mary could not simply be estranged or parted, resulting in his untimely and tragic death at the end of the [Season 3] finale." Fellows explained.

The fourth season of "Downton Abbey" plans to begin filming soon. Most of the characters will return, including Maggie Smith who had not previously signed a contract. It is scheduled for two more seasons as it became the most successful show in PBS history.