"How I Met Your Mother" Season 8 will be the last for Marshall, the character played by Jason Segel, if an Austrian report holds true.

"It's great to do some 'Rated R' stuff again, because I've been playing the nice guy for quite a long time now. That's why I'm gonna quit [HIMYM] after the eighth season," Austrian website kurier.at quoted Segel.

However, Segel has said in previous interviews that he would be happy to stay in the hit CBS sitcom as long as the viewers appreciate the show.

CBS Entertainment President Nina Tassler has also said recently she is optimistic that there will be a ninth season for the comedy series.

HIMYM enjoyed a strong following in its seventh season, prompting show runners and network management to consider sealing another deal with the cast.

The contracts of Segel and other HIMYM stars Neil Patrick Harris, Alyson Hannigan, Josh Radnor and Cobie Smulders are expiring next year. Negotiations are still ongoing, according to Ms Tassler.

Marshall and Lily on HIMYM Season 8

Co-creator and co-executive producer Craig Thomas has scooped TVGuide.com on what awaits the married couple Marshall and Lily next season.

"They're most concerned with, 'How do we keep drinking beer now that we're parents?' Lily has to figure out, 'Do I wanna go back to work or not?' In some ways, Barney, Ted and Robin have been Marshall and Lily's kids. Marshall and Lily have been the stable center all these years and there's gonna be a little sibling rivalry. Those guys are gonna be a little jealous of Marvin... But we're gonna see the best couple on TV become the best parents on TV."

Jason Segel gets nod of Heath Ledger's dad

Meanwhile, Segel's personal life is doing well as far as his romantic relationship with Michelle Williams is concerned.

Williams, who has a daughter with the late Heath Ledger, has apparently spoken about Segel to Ledger's father. Segel has been photographed in several occasions bonding with six-year-old Matilda Ledger in New York.

Speaking to Woman's Day, Heath Ledger's dad Kim said:

"It is lovely to have such a nice guy in Michelle's life... Matilda needs a male figure in her life and she has a great connection with Jason, who's a really funny guy. I know a lot of people who know Jason and they say he's not only humorous but a genuinely nice bloke."