The Vampire Diaries will return next fall for season eight on CW, but could season eight be the final season of the series?

It is possible.

Ian Somerhalder spoke about the eighth season, and the big return episode set for this Friday night in an interview with TV Guide recently, and now fans are wondering if he is preparing fans for the end.

He said the following:

“Can you believe this sh–? F—ing seven years! Isn’t that crazy? Because very few people I know have closed out a series – well, we’re not closed out yet. We have another year now… [This morning] I just thought, ‘Wow, man. You just navigated seven years, 154 episodes of television.’ And by the time it’s done, it’s going to be 176 episodes, by this time next year.”

That quote also revealed the potential episode count for season eight. Some fans have been wondering if season eight would be a shortened season for the series, but it appears CW plans to order a full season of 22 episodes.

Ian Somerhalder is excited about the upcoming season. He wants to see the series return to its former glory. He said:

“I would look at this season as being a very, very important time to notch up our belts and really put our big boy and big girl pants on in terms of telling stories that connect back to the ways this show [once was]. I thought we were going to get to do it more this year. There’s been some great storytelling, but I’m anticipating being able to get down to brass tacks, which was this very specific, wonderful core group of characters that navigated the treacherous waters of what is Mystic Falls.”

As for this week’s episode, fans will see a major death. Somerhalder teased that the series will lose “some very wonderful, very beautiful characters in this episode.”

Are you a fan of The Vampire Diaries? Should season eight be the end? Tell us what you think.