'Reign' season 4 air date, news: Series confirmed to end after upcoming fourth season; former stars react to show's cancellation

Following years of betrayal, romance and unexpected deaths, "Reign" has been confirmed to end after its upcoming fourth season.

According to reports, the historical drama's fourth season — which returns early 2017 — will be its last. Sources claim that producers have already been talking about a possible ending for "Reign" prior to the cancellation, so the decision to end the series this season wasn't completely unexpected. Production for next season is currently in full swing, so the writers and creators of "Reign" will still have time to work on the series finale knowing that it will be the show's last episode. This allows the team to give fans a real conclusion to the story of Mary Queen of Scots instead of leaving the audience hanging.

Cast members have yet to speak out on the show's cancellation, but former stars Torrance Coombs (who played Bash) and Toby Regbo (who portrayed Francis) took to social media to react to the news. "Thank YOU guys for making Reign the success that it was. It will forever be one of the great experiences of my life," Coombs said in a tweet directed to "Reign" fans.

Aside from expressing gratitude for fans, Regbo also shared a heartfelt message for the people behind the series. "I hear that Reign is coming to an end. I just want to say again what a pleasure it was working with such an amazing cast and crew. The best," he wrote. "And obviously all you guys who watched it and loved it. You're also the best," he added.

Despite being popular among viewers, "Reign" wasn't exactly an excellent performer in terms of ratings, even when the series started. Season 1 kicked off with a 0.8 rating in the 18–49 demographic, but it eventually decreased to a 0.4. The total audience also dipped from under 2 million to 1.24 million. Towards the end of season 3, the program's numbers from Nielsen's live-same-day ratings was averaging around a 0.3 in the advertiser-coveted demo and just under 1 million viewers.

The fourth and final season of "Reign" is scheduled to premiere on Friday, Feb. 10, at 9 p.m. ET on The CW.