Legacies and Roswell EP Says Season Four Finales Were Designed as Series Finales Before Cancellation

Last week was a rough one for television fans as various networks announced multiple series cancellations, but for fans of The CW, it was an especially difficult time. On Thursday, the network announced the cancellation of six series including Roswell, New Mexico, and Legacies. In the case of Legacies, it was the third series in The Vampire Diaries universe and its ending means the end of a 13-year franchise for the network. But while the cancellations have been difficult for fans to process, Julie Plec who serves as executive producer on both Legacies and Roswell, New Mexico did offer fans a bit of a silver lining. According to Plec, both series' season finales were already structured to work should their series not be renewed.

In an additional comment to a lengthy Twitter thread, she began on Friday speaking out about the cancellations, Plec revealed that The CW president Mark Pedowitz and his team had given the shows advance warning that a renewal might not be in the cards. It allowed them to create endings that would satisfy fans instead of leaving them on cliffhangers or with unfinished stories.

"One last thing re: Roswell and Legacies," Plec wrote. "Mark Pedowitz & his team at The CW had the class & grace to warn the shows that they might not survive, even if The CW wanted them. Because of that, the season finales of both shows were carefully crafted to also work as series finales."

Plec went on to add that, at least for Legacies, that means that there will be big and exciting surprises coming for long-time The Vampire Diaries universe fans.

"I can speak for Legacies in saying that Brett [Matthews] and I and the writing team poured all kinds of love into it," she wrote. "And there are a couple surprises for long-time [The Vampire Diaries Universe] fans that may just blow your mind."

Roswell, New Mexico series creator Carina Adly Mackenzie made similar comments on Thursday when she took to social media to commiserate about the show's cancellation, but also promised that the upcoming fourth — and now final — season "delivers" and that the end feels "satisfying".

"[Roswell, New Mexico] fans, I know it's disheartening news, but don't feel too sad!" Mackenzie wrote. "[Christopher] Hollier, the cast & the whole alien team have built a season 4 that delivers on soooo many moments we've ALL been dying to see, and I do think the ending feels satisfying."

The fourth season of Legacies is currently airing with the season finale scheduled for June 16th. Roswell, New Mexico's fourth and final season is set to debut on June 6th. You can read more about all of the shows cancelled last week in our full roundup here.