Time to graduate, kids: Netflix has granted Justin Simien’s film-to-streaming series Dear White People one final season, making it the next show to follow the seemingly trending “four and done” model. The announcement was made today via a short video from the returning cast. Simien will also return as co-showrunner alongside executive producer Yvette Lee Bowser.
Per a recent press release, creator Simien appears to be thrilled by the news:“I’m so grateful my little indie-that-could has made it to four seasons at Netflix! This show, along with the many talented storytellers it has brought into my orbit, has changed my life and I can’t wait to create a celebratory final volume befitting such a transformative experience.”
Born from the critically beloved film of the same name, Dear White People follows a group of Black students navigating a predominantly white university. Often led by Samantha White (Logan Browning), the Black student body fights tooth and nail against the school’s administration to retain the few spaces that they have carved out for themselves. Simien often employs satire and moments of absurdity to heighten the complexities of education and activism in the millennial age, resulting in stories that are both witty and familiar. Set at Winchester University, wrapping things up after four seasons seems highly logical, with this class of characters on the cusp of graduating.
While the first two seasons were a solid show of high dramatic comedy and seamless cinematography, the third installment—Volume 3—felt like a series spinning its wheels, leaving some previously major plot points left to flounder while only half-developing others. With only 10 episodes left, here’s hoping that the series returns to its former glory in time for a fitting send-off. A return date has not been confirmed at this time.