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Q: Did you know going into the season that this would be it?

Josh: We had a short order of 16 episodes and there was a lot of competition in the time slot. So, yeah, we knew, but it was liberating and we were able to focus on making the show as fun as possible. We were able to tell the stories the way we wanted this season and it was a great luxury.

Q: The fans of the show are angry about the demise. How do you feel about that?

Josh: Our fans are the best, and we love that they are so loyal to the show. I feel like we’ve all kind of grown up together in a way. But we, and Fox, felt like the show had come to sort of a natural conclusion. We want to leave on top, and we want to leave the fans with a satisfying ending.

Q: Through the years have there been many surprises for you?

Josh: In every way you can imagine. From bringing on a character for a short stay, and falling in love with them. Autumn Reeser (Taylor) was one of those. Who knew? It was very similar to when we brought Rachel Bilson (Summer) on to the show. She was brought on as a guest star for a couple of episodes and the more we gave her to do the more she surprised and amazed us. For Autumn she came on as a villain to create problems for some of our other characters and we saw so much potential in her. It was fun to evolve that character into a romantic lead.

Then there were times when we’ve suddenly discovered chemistry between characters, or just hit a story at the right time. We’ve got such a great cast and they are always surprising me with what they do. 

Q: What’s it been like on the set these last few weeks?

A: It’s been bittersweet. We are sad that it’s coming to an end, but I think we are happy that we are going out on a creative high note. Everyone really put their heart and soul into this year. We’re all going to miss not working together on this show, but I also think we are proud of what we’ve accomplished.