After the Tell Me Lies season 3 finale premiered on Hulu on Feb. 17, you're probably still reeling from the fast-paced events and truth bombs that were revealed. But you're probably going to want to hold onto your hat when you learn about the most shocking reveal of all: The show's fate.
Leading into the season 3 finale, Tell Me Lies fans had started wondering whether the Hulu original drama series would be renewed for season 4 or if this would be the final season. Because the show has been such a huge hit, it seemed like a no brainer that there would be another season, but when a renewal didn't come during season 3's run, we started to worry about its future.
Well, mere hours before the Tell Me Lies season 3 finale dropped on Hulu, series creator Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed with a post on Instagram that the show is ending with season 3. Oppenheimer shared a photo of herself with the cast at the premiere and explained in the caption that season 3 is the final season, offering some insight into the decision.
Why Tell Me Lies season 4 isn't happening
As Oppenheimer revealed in her announcement, she and her writing team had envisioned that series to end the way season 3 ends, and after seeing the fan excitement surrounding season 3, they tried to find ways to organically reopen the story for another season. However, Oppenheimer and the writers believed that the story of Lucy and her friends had "reached its natural conclusion."
Oppenheimer also spoke with Deadline about the decision not to pursue Tell Me Lies season 4 and admitted that she went into writing season 3 "with a certain amount of finality" and expressed that fact with the cast ahead of time. The cast understood her reasons behind ending with season 3 and loved how the series came to an end.
While there would certainly be ways that Oppenheimer and the writers could contrive a scenario that brings the series back for another season, she admitted that with the "framing device" (college and the wedding) resolved, a whole new story would have to be concocted to bring this specific group of characters back together somehow. She felt that threatened the show's quality.
"There’s not a lot connecting them, so, while I think it’s such a privilege to know when a show is ending and be able to write an ending and quit while you’re ahead, it’s hard. For me, it was just about do I think there’s another season in here that’s going to be as good, that’s not going to feel like a completely different show? And I felt like it would have to be completely re-imagined. The framing device is over. So yeah, while it’s difficult, I think the worst case scenario would be turning in something I didn’t believe in," Oppenheimer explained to Deadline.
It's obviously a real bummer for Tell Me Lies fans who were hoping for more episodes, but season 3 contains only eight episodes and now it's official that there aren't any additional episodes to come, for either season 3 or the now not-happening season 4. However, Oppenheimer has an overall deal with 20th Television and has new projects in the works.
Of course, different shows being in development doesn't make it any easier for fans to digest Tell Me Lies season 4 not happening. At the very least, we can rest assured that the series ended on its creator's terms and received a proper ending rather than concluding on a cliffhanger that would keep us up at night wondering. We're going to miss Tell Me Lies, and that's no lie.