Since 2016, Issa Rae and Penny Prentice’s irreverent series Insecure has led HBO’s comedy block and delivered vibrant social media debates on a silver platter. Few shows—on cable or otherwise—have managed to get the complex nitty-gritty of modern interpersonal relationships like the Emmy-nominated hit, and fewer than that have featured Black women so prominently and authentically. Also true: Since the show’s inception, the cast has had to juggle a successful series and their own quickly ascending careers, especially when it comes to creator Rae herself, who fashioned Insecure out of very humble beginnings as an independent web creator and is now perpetually busy. We can only imagine that such a juggling act gets tougher as the years trudge on. With that in mind, we’re not terribly surprised by HBO’s announcement confirming that Insecure is coming to an end with season 5, but that doesn’t preclude us from wailing obscenities into the void.
The cabler released a statement on Wednesday, echoing the praises that the series has received throughout its tenure. “Issa has turned insecurity into an iconic form of comedy,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president of HBO Programming. “The show is as incisive as it is heartfelt, and it has resonated strongly with its audience because of the deeply personal work that Issa, Prentice, [executive producer Melina Matsoukas], the cast and the writers have put into it. This talented team has conceived a brilliant final season for Insecure and we look forward to having many more stories to tell with this singular group of collaborators.”
Rae tweeted her own excitement for the final season, noting that a “complete story” wouldn’t have been possible without the support of fans and “the faith of HBO.”
The show seems to be coming to an end just as it was beginning to garner the accolades it had long earned. Season 4—dazzling and arguably the best of the lot—earned eight Emmy nominations, including a first-time nod for supporting actress Yvonne Orji, a second for star Issa Rae, and a major nod for Outstanding Comedy Series. When we last spoke to Rae, the production schedule for the fifth season (which was not specified as the final go-round at the time) was understandably up in the air due to the pandemic. Previous seasons can currently be streamed on HBO Max.