If the team behind FX's hit vampire series have their way, The Strain will run for five seasons - no more and no less.

Carlton Cuse told Digital Spy that five years feels like a natural fit, even though the original book series only ran to three novels.

© Fox

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"Originally we were thinking of each book being one season," Cuse revealed, "and then as we got into it, [authors] Guillermo del Toro, Chuck Hogan and I talked about it being five seasons instead.

"It was really fun to expand out the world, beyond what's in the novels. The essence of the show is very much rooted in the books, but the story that we're telling is the right version for television."

So how will the adaptation pan out? Cuse explained that seasons two and three of The Strain will adapt the second book, while the last two seasons will tackle Del Toro and Hogan's final novel.

"We have a very definite end-point in mind," he added. "We need to see this story come to its conclusion and I think five seasons will be just about the right amount of time."

© Fox

Someone else who thinks five seasons is just perfect for The Strain is series lead Corey Stoll, who plays scientist and vampire hunter Eph.

"One challenge in TV acting is you have to keep a character going indefinitely - and that can lead you to hold back on the throttle a little bit," he said.

"On House of Cards, I had this very finite 11-episode arc. I knew from the start that it had a very specific beginning, middle and end, and it gave me the licence to not hold back at all.

"I mean, this is going to be 56 episodes or something like that - but the arc is going to be even larger than on House of Cards, in terms of where we start and where we're going to end up."

Season two of The Strain will premiere on Watch on Wednesday, August 26 at 10pm. FX has already ordered a third season, though not a fourth or a fifth - yet!

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Watch a teaser for The Strain season two: