‘The Fosters’ to End After Five Seasons with a Three-Part Special Event

The Foster story isn’t over yet as Freeform orders a new spinoffs series for two characters.

The family and coming-of-age drama The Fosters will be coming to an end after its five seasons on Freeform, formerly known as ABC Family. Having wrapped production, its the two-hour 100th episode will serve as its official season finale. However, it will set up the three-part limited series summer event to ease the end of one of Freeform’s most watched and highest rated series for its entire run.

It will end with a three-episode installment, which is planned to introduce the spinoff that follows the Foster girls, Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez). The 13-episode series springing from The Fosters’ three writing executive producers, creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg as well as Joanna Johnson, will follow the girls into adulthood as they move to another city, Los Angeles. The two will follow two diverging life paths, with Mariana in tech and Callie in social work, yet will continue the Fosters legacy by extending the universe in which these characters are roaming and living in.

Dear Fosters fans, there’s a lot I want to say so bear with me. Firstly, I want to say thank you. I am so proud of our show and the stories we’ve been able to tell and the people we’ve been able to touch, but none of that is possible without your full hearted support. Your loyalty means the world to all of us at The Fosters and we are truly grateful to every single one of you. Sometimes great things come to an end, but to have achieved five seasons and over one hundred episodes with the most supportive, loving, talented and professional cast and crew is more than I could have dreamed of and for that I am so grateful. This show and its fans have become home to me so it’s a truly bitter-sweet moment. Moving forward, I am especially grateful to @freeform for their commitment to keep the characters and the spirit of the show alive. It’s with a full heart that I start a new chapter with my on and off screen sister, @cierraramirez. We’re excited to see where Callie and Mariana take us next… 👯💕

A post shared by Maia Mitchell (@maiamitchell) on Jan 3, 2018 at 1:25pm PST

With plans to implement guest appearances by characters from the original series- including parents Teri Polo and Sherri Saum-, the new series hopes to move in a new direction while continuing to tell the Fosters’ story. Known for tackling serious social issues and being the first to represent LGBT characters and issues, it is sad to see the GLAAD award-winning program go.

To conclude, Freeform released this press statement this morning:

Joanna Johnson, Bradley Bredeweg, and Peter Paige said: “First and foremost, we want to thank our fans – our supportive ‘Fosters Family’ – and Freeform for fostering this show. It’s been the privilege of our lives to get to shepherd this beautiful family through five seasons of love, laughter, heartbreak, tribulation, and triumph – and message to the world that DNA doesn’t make a family, love does. All while allowing us to explore some of the most pressing social issues of our era. Now that the kids are growing up, it’s time to take them out into the world, to see them make their way into adulthood, continuing their search for identity and love, and the pursuit of their dreams and purpose in this ever-changing world.”

The ten episodes which make up Season 5B will begin airing January 9th, Tuesdays at 8:00 PM.