After surprising fans with the abrupt end of "Penny Dreadful" at the end of season 3, Showtime has finally explained why they chose not to announce that there will no longer be a fourth season for the show.

During the Television Critics Association press tour, Showtime programming president Gary Levine explained that series creator John Logan really intended to end the show with the death of Eva Green's character, Vanessa Ives.

"In [John Logan's] mind it was always three and out. From early on, we were trying to keep it open for possibility of more, but it became clear that trying to continue the show past the life of Vanessa Ives would be a lesser-ment," the network boss said as reported by Digital Spy. "And John didn't really want to continue beyond that character."

The network president also explained why they opted not to divulge the information that season 3 would serve as the show's final season, saying that it would have preempted the story about Vanessa's death.

"And so I think we all together came to the idea, you know what, this series has made bold moves in all different directions. Let's make the bold move of putting up 'The End' at the end of the final episode and then announcing to the world that it was over," he added.

Levine also mentioned that Vanessa's demise was already plotted beforehand, and Logan would not want to see the story continue without its main heroine since it will lose the show's authenticity.

While fans are hoping to see Vanessa alive in a spin-off series, Logan seemed uncertain about the idea, based on his statement in an interview with TVLine.

"As much as I love the other characters and the other actors and running this show, the central ticking clock of it was always Vanessa Ives," Logan said.