The eighth season of the crime-drama series "Castle" is nearing its end. But apparently, the television program will no longer return for a ninth season since television network ABC has already decided to cancel it.

Despite the sad news about the show, fans might appreciate ABC's decision since it has been previously reported that if "Castle" continues with a ninth season, it will do so without lead actress Stana Katic, the co-star of series protagonist Nathan Fillion, E! Online reported.

In the show, Katic plays NYPD Homicide Detective Katherine Beckett before being promoted to captain. Eventually during the course of the show, Beckett became the wife of Fillion's Richard Castle character.

But aside from Katic, Tamala Jones, who plays medical examiner Dr. Lanie Parish, will not return to the show if season 9 does materialize. According to ABC, it decided to cut the fan-favorites due to budget issues. This could also be the reason behind the cancellation of the show. After all, its tone will certainly change if Castle carries on in the show without his on-screen wife and co-star.

The final episode of season 8 is scheduled to premiere on May 16. Although it is not yet clear what the episode will be about, it is rumored that the show filmed two different finales. The first one is for the current season while the other one is for a potential season 9.

"Castle" already release a promo trailer for the upcoming finale episode on Monday and based on the clip, it seems the season will end with the death of Beckett. This, of course, isn't confirmed yet but the trailer strongly hints at this ending. It also coincides with the status of the series since Katic will no longer be part of the show if it still continues with a follow-up season.

"Castle" is not the only television program that's getting the axe treatment from ABC. As confirmed by Entertainment Weekly, the television network has decided to cancel a number of its other programs including "The Muppets," "Nashville," and the musical comedy "Galavant."

The entertainment news site noted that cancellations are very common during this time of the year as networks are currently preparing for their fall schedule.