'The Vampire Diaries' season 8 release date, cancellation news: Upcoming season series' last? Cancellation announced at San Diego Comic-Con

All good things must come to an end. That is what "The Vampire Diaries" revealed during Saturday's San Diego Comic-Con panel.

It was a bittersweet moment for the cast of The CW's supernatural drama, which has been on air for the past eight years, as they bid the fans who were present at the SDCC goodbye for the last time. As Entertainment Weekly said, the expiration date of "The Vampire Diaries" has been set "after eight years, six doppelgängers, two car accidents on Wickery Bridge, and countless witchy hijinks."

The cast even put together an emotional goodbye video, which was shown after showrunner Julie Plec announced the show's end.

"The greatest honor you can have as a storyteller in the business of television is to be able to make those decisions with your peers and your fellow storytellers and we have all discussed it and we have made the decision that this is it," Plec said. "This is going to be the final season. ... It's bittersweet and emotional and we're going to be crying about this in a few minutes."

She likewise acknowledged the fans for sticking with them in what she referred to as "a beautiful run."

The news that the series was ending after season 8 didn't come as a surprise to fans who have followed it since day one. After one of its lead stars, Nina Dobrev (who played Elena Gilbert), exited the show at the end of season 6, fans stood in anticipation of a possible cancellation or the airing of a final season. Now it's here.

Plec said she and co-creator Kevin Williamson already came up with the series' end as far back as its second season, and what they thought of then holds true to this day. She also told the publication that they would love Dobrev to return to bring closure to any loose ends that her departure might have brought up.

"Nina has always said that if there's something for her to do in the series finale that she will be there to do it," Plec told EW. "When she left, she said, 'I want to see this character to its end at the end of the show, so I can't wait to come back and put her to bed again.'"

TV Line talked to the cast to ask them of Elena's chances of returning before the final curtain falls, and the answer they gave seemed to hint that chances are pretty good.

"The Vampire Diaries" season 8 kicks off on Friday, Oct. 21 at 8 p.m. ET on The CW. Meanwhile, check out TV Line's interview with the cast at the SDCC below.