The Originals ending after 5 seasons

The sun is setting on The Originals.

The series, which began as a spin-off from The Vampire Diaries, will conclude with its fifth season, showrunner Julie Plec announced Thursday.

“I’m packing my bags for Comic-Con, realizing it’s been a year since we announced the end of The Vampire Diaries. It feels only fitting to use this anniversary to make a second farewell announcement,” she wrote on Twitter. “This year, we invite you to help us say goodbye to The Originals, which begins shooting its fifth and final season on Monday.”

“It’s both a gift and a burden to be able to control the ending of a series,” she continues, later adding, “Join us at Comic-Con and as we move ahead with our final season of The Originals. Celebrate with us, cry with us, visit with us, watch us next spring when we air… and know that in a show about an immortal family who believes in ‘Always and Forever,’ it’s never really the end of the story…”

Read Plec’s full note below.

Plec’s conclusion to the note may not just be a tease. During interviews around the series finale of The Vampire Diaries earlier this year, she mentioned having an idea for a second spin-off, this one featuring Caroline (Candice King). Earlier this week, it was revealed Caroline will appear in the season premiere of The Originals this spring.

“#TheOriginalsS5 will be our last,” star Joseph Morgan wrote on Twitter. “Thanks for your undying support & I hope you’ll keep the darkest corner of your heart reserved for us.”

Expect more details on the finale and that possible spin-off at The Originals panel at Comic-Con on Saturday.