'The Originals' season 4 release date, cancelled news: Season to be last? Episode cut and viewer decline reportedly to blame

"The Originals" season 4 will reportedly be the concluding run of the vampire drama. This is because the episodes for this season will only be 13 as opposed to the usual 22.

A decrease in number of episodes is one of the telltale signs that the show is hanging by a thread. This was the case for "Grimm," whose upcoming season, which was revealed to be the final one, was cut in half.

Looking at the ratings and number of viewers for "The Originals" over the years, the drama was on a consistent decline. The previous season was the poorest run for the show.

"The Originals" pilot had 2.2 million viewers. While the numbers fluctuated, the first season managed to keep the 2-million mark up all throughout the first half.

The latter half had 1.83 million viewers as its highest. The second season did not do so well comparing those numbers as it only premiered to 1.37 million and ended with only 1.19 million viewers intact.

The third season premiered to 0.89 million. It enjoyed occasional spikes that go up to 1.12 million, but other than that, it churned out poor numbers.

"The Originals" season 4 will only be told in 13 episodes instead of 22, which means things will be fast-paced in the new season. It is feared that if it fails to rake in more viewers, The CW will pull the plug on the show.

This means that it might not outlive its parent series "The Vampire Diaries," which will end after eight seasons. Despite this, fans are still hopeful that "The Originals" will stay past season 4.

Instead of its usual fall premiere, "The Originals" season 4 will not premiere this year and will instead premiere early next year as one of The CW's midseason offerings.