“The Fosters” is saying goodbye after five seasons, but it’s going out with a bang — and an addition. The young adult drama will be wrapping with a 3-episode installment next summer that will set up a spinoff series, Freeform announced Wednesday.
A 13-episode series order has been made for the offshoot focusing on “Fosters” characters Callie (Maia Mitchell) and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) as they embark on the next phase into young adulthood.
While the 10-episode season 5B of “The Fosters,” which includes the drama’s 100th episode, will hit on Jan. 9 — the three-night TV finale event is set for Summer 2018.
Jennifer Lopez executive produces the series about a multi-ethnic family mix of adopted and biological teenaged kids being raised by two moms. The show stars Mitchell and Ramirez, along with Teri Polo (“Meet the Parents”) as Stef Adams Foster, Sherri Saum (“In Treatment”) as Lena Adams Foster, Hayden Byerly (“Parenthood”) as Jude Adams Foster, Noah Centineo (“How to Build a Better Boy”) as Jesus Adams Foster, David Lambert (“Aaron Stone”) as Brandon Foster.
Creators Bradley Bredeweg and Peter Paige, who serve as executive producers and writers on the show, along with Joanna Johnson, will helm “The Fosters” limited series finale event, and the spinoff.
“First and foremost, we want to thank our fans – our supportive ‘Fosters Family’ – and Freeform for fostering this show,” Johnson, Bredeweg and Paige said in a statement. “It’s been the privilege of our lives to get to shepherd this beautiful family through five seasons of love, laughter, heartbreak, tribulation, and triumph – and message to the world that DNA doesn’t make a family, love does. All while allowing us to explore some of the most pressing social issues of our era. Now that the kids are growing up, it’s time to take them out into the world, to see them make their way into adulthood, continuing their search for identity and love, and the pursuit of their dreams and purpose in this ever-changing world.”
“The Fosters” will return for season 5B with ten episodes on Jan. 9 at 8 p.m. EST.