With season three of Downton Abbey now in the TV history books, fans of the British-American drama must now wait until the end of the year for the fourth season to air.

The most recent installation left two of Robert's (Hugh Bonneville) daughters in a melee of tragedy, as Lady Sybil (Jessica Brown Findlay) passed away and Lady Mary (Michelle Dockery) was dealt with the death of her hubby Matthew, who died on the way to meet his newborn son in a freak car accident.

Lady Edith (Laura Carmichael) was the only one of Robert's daughters to have something positive going on in her life. However, even that was called into question as some people in her family voiced their disapproval of her getting involved with somebody who is still technically married.

While conducting a recent interview with ITN, Carmichael elaborated on the morale of Downton characters following the news of Matthew's passing.

"Everyone's a bit blue, as you can imagine, at the start of the series. But there's lot of exciting things that happen, and I think it's going to be great series."

Carmichael also expressed excitement to the site over her character's evolution in terms of fashion.

"She's evolving. It's really exciting, and we move through the twenties the fashions get more exciting and she gets lots of fun dresses."

In other news surrounding the show, several brand new characters are set to be joining the fold for Downton's fourth season. They include Dame Harriet Walters as an old friend to Dowager Countess (Maggie Smith), Dame Kiri Te Kanawa as a guest of the home, aristocrat Charles Blake (Julian Ovendon), Green (Nigel Harman), and the Duchess of Yeovil (Joanne David).

Downton Abbey is slated to make its return in September of 2013. Information on the upcoming season will be posted as it comes out. Another recent interview with Laura Carmichael pertaining to season four can be viewed below.