Airing for the first time in June 2013, The Fosters has been the most special show to capture my heart and the hearts of many others. Not only is The Fosters one of the most progressive shows I’ve ever watched, but it’s also full of drama, interesting storylines and heartwarming moments. I’ve watched it faithfully since its start.
However, I knew that the day would finally come where The Fosters would go off the air, and Freeform has finally announced that unfortunately that time has come. The current season, season 5, will wrap up, and over the summer there will be a three-part finale to dedicate to its end.
Image courtesy of Variety
To say I’m devastated would be an understatement. Over the almost five years that the show has been running, I have grown attached to the Fosters family, their dynamics and their love for each other.
More importantly, I’m sad to see such an important show go off the air. There were so many important societal issues that The Fosters covered, and so many marginalized groups that they represented on their shows: Jude’s discover of his sexuality as a preteen boy, which lead to The Fosters showing the youngest same-sex kiss on television; the positive representation of trans characters such as Cole and Aaron; foster children finding representation in characters, like Callie and Jude; the identity struggles that many characters go through, such as Lena and Mariana over their race and Stef with her sexuality. There are so many more important issues that The Fosters covers beautifully (including traumatic brain injuries, addiction, mental illnesses, sexual assault, racism, sexism, the shortcomings of the foster care system, teen pregnancy and abortions, and sex trafficking) that it’s so sad to see it end. Whether or not it was the most groundbreaking show to ever exist, it was amazingly diverse.
Luckily, Freeform has decided to greenlight a spin-off series that will be featuring Mariana and Callie from The Fosters, which has been the silver lining to the fact that the show is ending. So far, there are very few details besides the fact it will be set a few years in the future in L.A. Callie and Mariana will have moved out of home and live together as Mariana pursues a tech career and Callie, a social work career. On one hand, I am so sad to see the family go (at least out of the main cast). On the other hand, it will bring an interesting new spin to this beloved series and at least it isn’t ending completely!
So, as a major fan of The Fosters, I want to say farewell to such an amazing show. Not only was it my favorite show ever and a constant comfort to me over the years, but it was so important in how it depicted social issues. Hopefully the spin-off series will include all of the things that made The Fosters so wonderful!