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By Shanique Joseph
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For five outstanding seasons Better Things has entertained viewers far and near with its relatable story of a working single mother raising daughters while chasing her own dreams.
Sadly, all good things must come to an end, even Better Things. The FX drama series from showrunner and series star Pamela Adlon concludes Monday, April 25.
Given the fact the show has been nominated for the Writers Guild of America, a Critics' TV Choice Award and has a Peabody accolade, why is the series wrapping up at Season 5?
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Newsweek has delved into the reasons why the show is ending now, and whether a Season 6 could be on the cards some day.
Why Is Better Things Ending?
Better Things follows the journey of working actress Sam Fox (played by Pamela Adlon), who is a single mother to three daughters—Max (Mikey Madison), Frankie (Hannah Alligood), and Duke (Olivia Edward)—who she raises in Los Angeles.
Her life is a balancing act between parenthood and self-gratification, two aspects that have been at the forefront of the series since its inception in 2016. It is the illustration of the real life struggles, highs and lows of women like Sam that has made Better Things such a celebrated show, so why end it?
Although it is not entirely clear why Better Things is ending with Season 5 there are a couple of factors that might have played a role in the decision to wrap up the series.
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One of the reasons could be viewership. In comparison to Season 3, Season 4 viewership dropped by 12 percent, according to TV Series Finale, with viewers generally dwindling week-on-week at the time Season 4 was released.
Perhaps the creators behind Better Things and FX thought it would be better to end the series on a high. Newsweek has reached out to FX for comment.
However, Better Things is not exactly one of FX's hit series, yet it was renewed year after year. Therefore another possible reason at play here could be the desire of the cast and crew to finalize the stories of the main characters.
In an interview, Adlon said "it was challenging" wrapping up the storylines of the main characters. She told TV Insider she wanted to have this "satisfaction that everybody has moved forward in a way, including the village. And everybody in the village gets a tip of a hat."
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Will There Be a Better Things Season 6?
Adlon hinted there could be a Better Things Season 6 in the future when she made a statement about the fifth and final season.
"I will forever be grateful to FX for allowing me to tell stories the way I see the world and want the world to be seen," Adlon said in a statement to Deadline. "Making this show has been film school for me. I bow down to my crew and my cast. And I can't wait for people to discover and re-discover Better Things. This is gonna be a wrap on Sam Fox (for now). See you at the after party."
The "for now" part of her statement has drawn attention, as some have been left wondering whether or not Better Things will return at a later date. It seems Adlon is hopeful Season 5 is just the conclusion of this chapter and not the end.
In July 2020, Adlon signed a deal with FX Productions to develop scripted and unscripted programmes for FX, as well as other outlets from Walt Disney Television.
Better Things Season 5 concludes Monday, April 25, 2022, at 10 p.m. EST on FX.
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