Series Creator Confirms That ‘Transparent’ Will End After Next Season

As many fans have feared, it appears that the upcoming fifth season of “Transparent” will be the show’s last hurrah.

According to a recent feature on The Hollywood Reporter (which also covered Jeffrey Tambor’s controversial exit from the series), “Transparent” is still working on the upcoming season, but the show’s creators have decided that now is the time to end the critically-acclaimed series.

READ MORE: Jeffrey Tambor Admits To Being “Difficult” And “Mean” On Set As He Recounts Being Fired From ‘Transparent’

Jill Soloway, the creator of the series, admitted to feeling “a tiny bit like we are going to be OK,” in response to the exit of Tambor and the obvious transformation the series will have to undergo to continue without its lead. But nevertheless, the writers are currently in the process of discussing how to continue the series for one more season, and Soloway has some hopes for what it means for the final episodes.

“Hopefully it sets the Pfeffermans up with some sort of beautiful reclaiming,” Soloway says. “I think we’re going to get there with some time.”

Initially, after allegations came out about Tambor’s apparent sexual harassment of cast and crew, but before he was officially dismissed, the actor and Soloway discussed ways to continue the show. It was proposed that Tambor could come back, but in a drastically different way than before. He’d appear as Mort Pfefferman, Maura’s pre-transition self, in a series of flashbacks. Obviously, once he was dismissed completely from the series, those plans were going to need to change.

READ MORE: ‘Transparent’ Season 5 Delayed Until 2019; Jeffrey Tambor May Be Replaced

But Soloway and crew were already dealing with controversy on the show. For years, there has been a strong contingent of trans folks who saw Tambor’s portrayal of Maura as “transface.” Soloway admits that it has been an issue and offers an explanation, saying, “While much of the trans community immediately embraced the show, some vocally opposed the casting of a cis man, Jeffrey, in the lead role. This sentiment has persisted in parts of the community — coming up again on social media in the wake of these allegations… I wanted to tell a story that brought power and visibility to trans people, and to my own family’s journey into understanding, acceptance, and pride.”

Now, it appears that fate has handed Soloway a new avenue to explore on the series. So, with the fifth and final season of “Transparent” scheduled to release in 2019, fans will finally get to see what the show would look like without Tambor in the lead.