The latest chapter in the Corner Gas franchise is coming to an end after Bell Media confirmed that Corner Gas Animated is pumping the brakes following its fourth season run this summer.

The 13 final episodes kick off July 5 on CTV Comedy Channel, marking the third farewell for creator, executive producer and star Brent Butt. Previously the comedian starred in the initial scripted comedy, which ran from 2004-09, and in the feature film, which was released in 2014.

In addition to Butt, Eric Peterson, Fred Ewanuick, Gabrielle Miller, Nancy Robertson, Tara Spencer-Nairn and Lorne Cardinal have each starred in all three iterations of the franchise. Janet Wright, who was a part of the original series and the feature film as Brent’s onscreen mother Emma, passed away in 2016 at the age of 71 from undisclosed causes. When the animated series debuted two years later, Corrine Koslo began voicing the character.

“Corner Gas has changed my life in a thousand ways,” Butt said in a press release. “I love the show, the characters, our incredible cast, producers, writers, crew and our amazing fans, who showed up in droves from the beginning, supported us throughout, and helped spread the word around the world. This news marks the closing of another chapter in the brand’s history, but Corner Gas has a life of its own. So… who knows what the future will hold?”

In its final season, storylines include Brent trying to keep his father from entering the gas station, Emma and Oscar (Peterson) facing off in a battle of impressions, Hank (Ewanuick) setting up a livestream of a bird’s nest he discovers, and Lacey (Miller), Wanda (Robertson) and Karen (Spencer-Nairn) struggling to get noticed on a dating app. Karen and Davis (Lorne Cardinal) also notably do some actual police work, when an escaped convict is on the loose.

When the final season of the series kicks off, Dog River will also be full of special guest stars. In addition to a “surprise Hollywood superstar,” Tantoo Cardinal, Kim Coates, Simu Liu, Mark McKinney, Rick Mercer and Steven Page will all lend their voice talents to the show.

“The entire Corner Gas team have been fantastic partners for close to two decades, and we have loved collaborating with them on the evolution of this beloved franchise,” Justin Stockman, VP, content development and programming, Bell Media said in a release. “The final season of Corner Gas Animated will surely leave its mark as the team has once again delivered a phenomenal run of episodes that will bring this chapter to a satisfying close.”

In its April 2018 debut, Corner Gas Animated became the most-watched series premiere in the history of CTV Comedy Channel. It wrapped its first season run as the channel’s most-watched series of the broadcast year among total viewers in all key demos.

According to Bell Media the ratings continued to climb in season two when overall viewership increased by 41%. Season three, which debuted in October 2020, is the most watched show on CTV Comedy Channel in the current broadcast year among key adult demos.

In three seasons, Corner Gas Animated has won six of its 13 Canadian Screen Awards nominations, taking home back-to-back trophies in 2020 and 2021 for Best Animated Program or Series. The entire franchise is currently available to stream on Crave, CTV.ca and the CTV app.

“If anybody asks me if it’s over, I don’t know, because there’s so much life in Corner Gas,” said executive producer Virginia Thompson in a video posted to Facebook. “I don’t know, but I do want to honour the work we’ve done, because this might be the end, and if it is: thank you.”

Corner Gas Animated is distributed worldwide by executive producers Thompson and Butt through Prairie Pants Distribution. The company also holds distribution rights to Corner Gas: The Movie and the sales agency rights to the original 107-episode comedy series.