The freaky horror drama The Strain is only in its second season on FX— but producer Carlton Cuse is already planning ahead for the inevitable end.

In an interview with Digital Spy, Cuse said he views the series as a five-season project, with a “definitive” ending already in sight. Considering the show is based on a trilogy of novels by Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan, that makes sense. Interestingly, Cuse said they were originally eyeing a three-season series, with a season built around each book, though they eventually realized the narrative expands too much to be crammed into such a limited window.

So they’ve remapped the content with five seasons in mind, and Cuse promises they’re already planting seeds and building toward a worthy finale. Here’s an excerpt from how Cuse broke down the plan:

"Originally we were thinking of each book being one season, and then as we got into it, [authors] Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan and I talked about it being five seasons instead. It was really fun to expand out the world, beyond what's in the novels. The essence of the show is very much rooted in the books, but the story that we're telling is the right version for television. We have a very definite end-point in mind. We need to see this story come to its conclusion and I think five seasons will be just about the right amount of time."

The Strain is currently airing its second season on FX. Do you think a five-year plan is the right move?

(Via Digital Spy)