‘Gravity Falls’ Creator Alex Hirsch Explains Why He’s Ending the Show After 2 Seasons

The quirky Disney XD series Gravity Falls will end with a one-hour series finale that will air sometime in the next few months.

“The first thing to know is that the show isn’t being cancelled,” the frequently-flanneled series creator (and noted Cartoon Brew fan) Alex Hirsch wrote on his Tumblr yesterday. “It’s being finished. This is 100% my choice, and it[’]s something I decided on a very long time ago. I always designed Gravity Falls to be a finite series about one epic summer- a series with a beginning, middle, and end. There are so many shows that go on endlessly until they lose their original spark, or mysteries that are cancelled before they ever get a chance to payoff.”

The penultimate episode, “Weirdmageddon Part 2: Escape From Reality,” will premiere this Monday. Hirsch has promised fans that these last episodes are leading to a finale that will answer some, but not all, questions about the show’s mysteries.

“I wanted Gravity Falls to have a mystery that had a real answer, an adventure that had a real climax, and an ending that had a real conclusion for the characters I care so much about,” the 30-year-old CalArts graduate wrote. “This is very unusual in television and a pretty big experiment, and Disney for their part has been enormously supportive. I know that hits are rare in this business, and its hard to let one of them go, so I’m so grateful that this company has had the vision to let me start (and end) the show the way I always wanted to.”

Disney XD released its own statement saying, “Alex Hirsch had a masterful plan for the stories and characters of Gravity Falls and, through 40 episodes and 17 shorts, he and a team of outstanding writers, artists and actors consistently delivered an inspired and unique story. Alex made the decision to conclude the story at this time, and while we’re disappointed we all won’t have the opportunity to explore more of the Gravity Falls world, we respect his creative vision.”

Hirsch has left the door open for future Gravity Falls revivals, writing, “[J]ust because I’ve finished the story I wanted to tell doesn’t necessarily mean we will never see Dipper, Mabel, & Stan again. It means that this chapter is closed, and that I, at least for now, am personally done telling their story.”

He has not announced a new project, but encourages his fans to follow him on Twitter for future news.