Fans are wondering if Hightown Season 4 will ever be released.
The Starz crime drama is in the midst of its third (and possibly final) season on the network, laying out the latest chapter in Monica Raymund's Jackie Quiñones detective story.
Hightown has been received fairly well in its three seasons, with critics praising its leading lady and the criminal conspiracy backdropped by the ongoing opioid crisis at the series' heart.
[ Full Cast of Hightown Season 3 - Every Main Actor & Character Who Appears (Photos) ]
Is Hightown Season 4 On the Way?
With Starz's Hightown continuing its third season, questions about a potential Season 4 have sprung up.
As of writing, there are no plans for a fourth season of the series.
According to TVLine, Hightown Season 3 will be its last with nothing lined up to continue the story.
This series finale announcement came with news that Season 3 would get a reduced episode count of seven (compared to Season 1's eight and Season 2's 10).
While some may wonder how set in stone this final season branding is at Starz, it seems it was a decision the network did not make lightly.
Season 3 was not originally announced as its final season (per Deadline), with that information coming months later.
There is, of course, always the chance Hightown is picked up by some other network for a potential Season 4. This practice has been seen a few times in TV history with a series ending on one network only to be acquired by another.
In Hightown's case, it seems unlikely another name in cable TV would snatch up the series, as the show has not lit the world on fire in its time on Starz with dwindling viewership numbers and solid - but not exceptional - critical reception.
Will the Hightown Finale Be Satisfying?
With Season 3 set to likely be its last, one has to wonder if Hightown will come to a satisfying close.
So far in the third season, fans have followed National Marine Fisheries Service Agent Jackie Quiñones as - on her path to sobriety - she gets pulled into an ongoing murder investigation.
One would think the Hightown team was working with the knowledge that Season 3 would be the show's last.
So the show should end with that feeling of closing the book, with all remaining loose threads tied up.
However, seeing as it looks as though the series may have gotten its cancellation order mid-production, that might not be the case.
The reduced episode count for Season 3 might scare some, but its seven-episode run is not that different from the eight and 10 episodes of Seasons 1 and 2, respectively.
It remains unknown if the series was originally going to take more time to tell its Season 3 story. Still, given its cancellation, it seems likely the creators may have had bigger plans that have been cut short.
For the show to reach a fulfilling end, the series must bring closure to its main character Jackie Quiñones.
That is not to say she needs a happy ending. There is a real possibility that her story ends in a dark place. But she will at least need to be seen completing the investigation that has plagued her for the past three seasons.
From there, it remains to be seen if Jackie will make it to a happy place in the show's third season, with her addiction still looming in the back of her head.
Hightown is now streaming on Starz.
