After weeks of speculation, U.S. cable channel Syfy on Monday confirmed that Canadian sci-fi series Sanctuary wouldn’t be saved for a fifth season.

For their part, the cast and crew took the news in stride:

“Now that it’s official, thank you fans and viewers… for the most incredible 4 years of my life. Solemn bow to you all,” said show creator Damian Kindler on Twitter.

Others, including the show’s star Amanda Tapping, expressed more disappointment:

“To all the fans… we love and adore you. Thank you for the love and support. Now to the long dark tea time of my soul,” she said in her own tweet.

Sanctuary, produced by My Plastic Badger Productions and the Beedie Group, in association with Tricon Films and Television, began its run as a webseries, consisting 15- to-20-minute biweekly episodes which were sold to viewers through the series’ official site.

It wasn’t long until Syfy stepped in and commissioned a 13-episode first season of the series for TV.

The show, about an enigmatic doctor (Tapping) and her team of experts as they try to protect powerful creatures known as “abnormals” and hunt down dangerous ones, was shot in Burnaby B.C. and made extensive use of a green screen and a red camera.

Many of the series’ episodes were directed by Martin Wood (Stargate: Atlantis), with Alan McCollough (Lost Girl) acting as executive producer.

Robin Dunne, Christopher Heyerdahl, Ryan Robbins and Agam Darshi starred alongside Tapping, who also executive produces the series, which airs on Space in Canada.

While the cast and crew took the news well, fans weren’t so receptive.

“Nooooo…! Syfy has cancelled Sanctuary, why! Syfy needs to get their heads examined by Dr. Helen Magnus for worms in the brain!” said James Lee Whittle, a fan from Hong Kong, on Twitter.

Other fans, in the vein of campaigns launched by Todd and the Book of Pure Evil and Picnicface supporters, have vowed to launch petitions to convince Syfy to bring the series back.

Sanctuary, which leads the nomination field for Leo Awards this year, currently airs internationally, in countries such as the UK, France and Australia.