Series 8 ?

I don't see how they can top the ending of Season 5. I wish they'd have just left it there rather than dragging us through the depressing last 2 seasons. If Season 8 can bring us some promised joy, that would be nice. I just don't see it topping a sweeping declaration of love & promise at a scenic castle.

Well, technically it's both - or can be, anyway. The two are almost interchangeable when it comes to describing shows like Doc Martin, Downton Abbey, etc. Usage depends primarily on where the viewer resides.

The term "series" in the UK is roughly the same as "mini-series" in the US. The distinction is how the production is done.

A UK series or US mini-series generally has the same crew and writers for every episode and is financed on the short term over a few months.

The US style series is a larger production with teams of writers and different crews creating episodes and planned out for years. Episodes will be written and directed by completely different people with producers managing them maintaining consistency and setting overall direction.

Both have advantages and disadvantages. The first model allows more artistic freedom and consistency for the one series but you may get some abrupt changes for future ones. The second model allows bigger budgets productions with fancy sets and can keep cast and crew on the payroll for years at a time.

here in the Uk we say 'series' rather than 'season'.