From Jessica Brown Findlay (Lady Sybil) to Dan Stevens (Matthew Crawley), the hit British-American TV series Downton Abbey has seen its fair share of departures over the past few seasons.

Actor Brendan Coyle (John Bates) spoke to Radio Times on July 2 and gave his thoughts about what lies ahead for the program in terms of the fresh faces being cast.

"Instead of cutting back and cutting back and saying, 'We have a success now,' the producers want to expand. Not just in terms of bringing in more characters, but the variety of characters and the situations they find themselves in. It's not going to last forever but we're all enjoying it very much. Like I say, this is our best [season]," he explained.

Although there are indeed greener pastures to look forward to with its upcoming storylines, the 49-year-old was quick to acknowledge the sadness that comes to parting ways with a longtime co-worker.

"You miss people. I miss Jessica [Brown Findlay], I miss Dan [Stevens], I'm really going to miss Siobhan [Finneran]. You miss them because it's a tight unit and they're all great people and great actors, but they move on. And you have to crack on," Coyle added.

Downton Abbey is slated to kick off in the U.S. on Jan. 5, 2014, and run until February 23, 2014. Be sure to keep checking back for more of the latest details on the British-American period piece.

For more Downton dirt related to the upcoming season, be sure to check out the video clip below.

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