NBC’s The Good Place is ending after its upcoming fourth season, creator/executive producer Michael Schur announced Friday night at the Television Academy in North Hollywood during a panel discussion dedicated to the critically-acclaimed comedy series.

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“After The Good Place was picked up for season two, the writing staff and I began to map out, as best we could, the trajectory of the show,” he said. “Given the ideas we wanted to explore, and the pace at which we wanted to present those ideas, I began to feel like four seasons – just over 50 episodes – was the right lifespan.”

Schur added that he was tempted to go beyond four seasons, but decided against it.

“At the end of the day, we don’t want to tread water just because the water is so warm and pleasant. As such, the upcoming fourth season will be our last,” he stated.

Schur went on to express his gratitude to NBC and the team behind the sitcom.

“I will be forever grateful to NBC and Universal TV for letting us make The Good Place, and for letting us end it on our own schedule. I will also be forever grateful to the creative team, both on-screen and off, for their hard work and dedication to a very weird idea,” he said. “We ask the question very frequently, on this show, what do we owe to each other? The answer, for me, is: I owe all of you a whole lot.”

“We look forward to a great final season airing this fall,” he concluded.

Ending the show was clearly a creative decision by Schur because NBC brass would’ve loved to get more seasons. “The Good Place is actually one of the most viewed series on our,” NBC co-chairman George Cheeks said just last month, touting the show’s success.

For the 2018-19 season, The Good Place averaged a 1.6 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.6 million viewers overall in Live+7 Nielsen ratings. It is a respectable number but it is in digital viewing where the comedy has excelled, propelling its multi-platform audience to the top of NBC’s rankings.

The Good Place stars Ted Danson, Kristen Bell, William Jackson Harper, Jameela Jamil, Manny Jacinto and D’Arcy Carden.

Since its launch in 2016, the series has won the AFI Award for Program of the Year, TCA Award for Program of the Year, a Humanitas Award and a Peabody Award. In addition, the series was nominated for a Golden Globe, Writers Guild Award, Producers Guild Award and a Critics’ Choice Award.

Schur, David Miner, Morgan Sackett and Drew Goddard serve as executive producers. The series is produced by Universal Television, Fremulon and 3 Arts Entertainment.