This past month, the lavish doors of Downton Abbey were shut for the last time, and with them, the Emmy and Golden Globe award-winning show’s six-season run on PBS. Devastated fans all around the world had to say goodbye on March 6 to the sumptuous dinners, breathtaking sights, and family drama that had defined their lives for the past half-decade. And while the Crawley’s may not be returning to your televisions next season (although they may be making their silver screen debut sometime in the near future), their stories will live on through the fans and the following they have so deservedly amassed.

Perhaps one of the biggest appeals of Downton Abbey was the historical references that were skillfully woven throughout the characters’ lives. Right from the pilot, the producers were able to use real-world events, such as the sinking of the Titanic and Hitler’s rise to power, to advance the plot and affect the lives of their characters. With frequent transitions between pregnancy rumors and the struggle for Irish independence, Downton Abbey was truly able to attract viewers from all walks of life. And while the juxtaposition of the downstairs servants and upstairs aristocrats did accentuate class differences of the early twentieth century, the show taught us that people of all socioeconomic standings can work together to save the world, such as when servant William Mason and Earl-to-be Mathew Carley went off to serve in World War I together. In a world so divided by hate and destruction, Downton Abbey’s message of love and equality gave us a breath of fresh air every Sunday night.

Another one of Downton’s many charms was the fact that it allowed us to escape our suburban lives for an hour each week to live among the British nobility during a time when every meal was a white tie event. When Downton Abbey was on, our surroundings faded away, and all of our preoccupations and troubles dissipated. We were absorbed into the family and political intrigue of Downton Abbey. We were right there at Lady Edith’s wedding when she was stood up at the alter. We were there when Matthew Crawley got into the car accident. And we were there when Lady Mary and her mother had to drag the late, young Turk across the halls of Downton to avoid scandalous rumors. At every Downton dinner, we were able to feel what it would’ve been like to sit at a table where the chandelier cost more than our car and be served course-after-course by a professional butler. In Downton’s later seasons, the age of big estates and servants was coming to an end. Today, it is all but eradicated, but Downton Abbey allowed that lost era to have one last go at it in the limelight.

Downton Abbey was many things, but it wouldn’t have made it past season one without its stellar cast. Viewers waited all week for a chance to return to Downton to see how the staunch Robert would save his estate, or what clever quip the Dowager Countess would hurl at Mrs. Crawley, a woman whom she believed was single-handedly destroying her way of life. The ever-opaque Mary always kept fans on their toes, for they had to know how she would run the estate, who she would marry, or if the rumors circulating about her “week of sin” were true. Only on Downton Abbey could a spiteful character like Edith have us hate her with every fiber of our being and then turn around and grieve for her when she was forced to part with her bastard daughter. And of course, how could anyone forget the tragic Romeo-and-Juliet-esque love story of Lady Sybil and Tom Branson? The two came from different worlds (one a British aristocrat and the latter an Irish Republican that worked for her family), but in the end, love persevered and the two were married (for however brief a time) and started a family.

The reign of Downton Abbey is unfortunately over, and while we still have re-runs and YouTube montages, the world will never be the same. Alas, we must trudge on, and while we eagerly wait for the announcement of a Downton Abbey movie (fingers crossed!), the only thing left to do is ring Carson for tea.