ABC announced today that the current season of David E. Kelley's ground-breaking legal drama The Practice will be the last. After the long-running series experienced a resurgence in both ratings and quality this season in the wake a major re-tooling, fans had much to celebrate. But no more.

However, it appears comments that the show had essentially become a showcase for actor James Spader may have been acutely prescient:

The final episodes of the ABC show will set up a spin-off series, which has been given a 22-episode order by the network for the fall.

Sources said the pickup is not contingent on any actor, but speculation is that the latest additions to the show — James Spader and Rhona Mitra — have been approached for the spin-off.

While current stars Steve Harris and Camryn Manheim will be missed, fans of Kelley and the show can't help but be excited by the prospect of a lighter series focusing on Spader's Alan Shore character. With the failure of Girl's Club and the waning Boston Public, Kelley needs another hit, and this could be it.