AceShowbiz -

It's official; "Justified" will end after season 6. FX Networks CEO John Landgraf made the announcement at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena on Tuesday, January 14, ending weeks of speculation about the show's future.

"It was [showrunner] Graham Yost and [star] Timothy Olyphant's decision. I would have liked to have had more Justified. It's one of my favorite shows," Landgraf said. "We talked about it a year ago and they felt that the arc of the show and what they had to say would be served by six seasons instead of seven and I regretfully accepted their decision."

Yost explained later, "A lot of it was just figuring out how much story we had left. Our biggest concern is running out of story and repeating ourselves. This was a long conversation. There were financial incentives to keep going, but it really felt, in terms of story, that six years felt about right."

Also at the panel, the cast of the crime drama series paid tribute to author Elmore Leonard who wrote the novels on which the show is based. Olyphant said, "I loved the man. He's going to be greatly missed - he is. I feel blessed to be able to do the show and that he got a kick out of it. I feel lucky to have known the man."

"Justified" is currently in production of its sixth season. Star Walton Goggins revealed they honored Leonard with an empty chair in front of the filming monitors which has been a source of strength at times.

FX's other top-rated show "Sons of Anarchy" was previously confirmed to pull the curtain after the upcoming season 7.