Most of us knew this day would come: the day when we first hear that Heroes will be canceled. Personally, I have been watching the series since day one and I stuck with it through even the roughest, most poorly-written episodes (many from the second season come to mind). And even though I will miss the Heroes gang, I have to admit that I’ll be relieved to have the whole shebang over and done with.

According to New York Magazine, although NBC was planning on bringing the sci-fi series back for one final season, the hopes for this happening are now slim to none. A lot of it has to do with ratings, obviously. Chew on this: just under 17 million viewers tuned in to watch the beginning of the show’s second season.

Less than 5 million viewers watched the fourth season’s finale. That’s embarrassing.

However, fans assumed that NBC would keep Heroes around—if anything, as a safety net if one of the network’s newer shows failed. But NBC executives are feeling extremely confident about their new line-up and are starting to view Heroes as unnecessary and a waste of assets.

But fans, don’t stress: the rumor is that NBC won’t leave you hanging. It looks as though a two- or four-hour movie event to tie up the show’s loose ends is likely.

While it isn’t etched in stone, the writing’s on the wall—Heroes is on its way down.