'Nashville' TV show is ending after season 6

After six years on television, "Nashville" will ride off into the sunset next year. 

Lionsgate Television Group announced Friday that the show's upcoming sixth season will be its last, with the series finale airing in the summer of 2018.

In a press release, Kevin Beggs, the production company's chairman, said they "believe that creatively it is time for the series to come to its triumphant close at the end of the upcoming season."

"We’re very proud of our incredibly talented cast and crew, the creative brilliance of our showrunners, and the loyal support of our great partners at CMT, Hulu and ABC Studios. Most importantly, we owe a special debt of thanks to the Nashville fans who propelled the series to an incredible run. We owe it to them to make the 6th season the most exciting and memorable of all.”

The final season of “Nashville” premieres at 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 4. The 16-episode season will once again be split into two segments, with the finale airing summer 2018 (date TBA).

"Nashville" premiered on the ABC network in 2012 to positive reviews and respectable viewership. Its success helped usher the real Nashville's "it city" era, which has seen Music City's size and stature grow by leaps and bounds.

But for nearly as long, the show was also on the chopping block — hanging by a thread on ABC's prime-time lineup. After being canceled by the network in 2016, fans rallied to save the show, and cable network CMT picked it up.