'The Originals' season 4 air date, news, & updates: Marcel saves Klaus anew? Netflix to pick up show if canceled?

The first official look at "The Originals" season 4 hints of the exciting scenarios that fans will be treated to when the show returns midseason of 2017. However, there are rumors that the upcoming installment will be the last one for the series, at least on The CW.

In the clip, Marcel Gerard (Charles Michael Davis) can be seen trapping a Tunde bladed Klaus Mikaelson (Joseph Morgan) in a dungeon. It makes Marcel look like a villain, but fans of the show know that no matter what happens between the two, their kinship is too deep. Marcel will save Klaus when the going gets rough.

TV Guide hints that Klaus will come face-to-face with a villain who holds a long-standing grudge against the original hybrid vampire. Apparently, this villain will first target Vincent Griffith (Yusuf Gatewood), before setting his sights on Klaus and his daughter Hope (Summer Fontana). Moreover, this mysterious enemy will be targeting the children of New Orleans, too.

If what Julie Plec says in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, then Marcel might save Klaus once more and fight with the latter to keep their city safe. Plec pointed out that Marcel has always helped and saved Klaus against various enemies; so surely, it can be expected of him in season 4.

In related news, there are rumors that season 4 will be the last for the series. Some surmise that the shortened season indicates that the series is nearing its end and that Klaus' death will signal the end. Nevertheless, according to Phoebe Tonkin, who plays Hayley Marshall, the shorter episode order for the upcoming season is to make the story "a little more condensed."

Speculations point to poor ratings as the reason why "The Originals" might be cancelled, just like its mother series "The Vampire Diaries." Still, fans are optimistic that should it be cancelled, another network, particularly Netflix, will pick it up for renewal.

Netflix Life reports that there is an agreement between Netflix and The CW regarding the series, with season 4 episodes streaming on the site eight days after the finale. So fans are keeping their hopes up that Netflix will consider giving "The Originals" a new lease on life in case The CW axes it.

"The Originals" season 4 is expected to drop in midseason 2017 on The CW.