FREEFORM – The Bold Type stars Katie Stevens, Aisha Dee, Meghann Fahy and Melora Hardin joined powerful women across media for a luncheon hosted by The Bold Type executive producer Joanna Coles in Manhattan. (Heidi Gutman via Getty Images)
MEGHANN FAHY, KATIE STEVENS, AISHA DEE

It’s a sad day for Scarlet Magazine, with the announcement that season 5 of The Bold Type will officially be the series’ last. The popular show, which centres around the lives of three twenty-something best friends working for a glossy women’s media publication, will finish up with a final six episodes set to air later this year.

President of Freeform Tara Duncan, the network behind the show, said in a statement that the unexpected hit series deserved a proper send-off in tribute to its “incredible cast and crew” and “beloved fans”. According to Freeform, the final episodes will be true to the series’ roots in friendship and self-discovery. “Our trio is on the brink of defining who they really are and how best to leave their mark on the world. Their futures are bright, and their love and support for each other will never change.”

The Bold Type has been a gift that has truly changed my life,” executive producer Wendy Straker Hauser said in a statement about the shuttering of the show. “I spent my twenties in New York City working in magazines, so in many ways the show feels very personal to my experiences. I have truly loved writing this show and living in this world. I will miss it terribly, but I am so grateful for the opportunity and glad to know it’s been a comfort to so many people out there.”

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – JANUARY 23: (L-R) Actresses Aisha Dee, Katie Stevens and Meghann Fahy attend the Build Series to discuss “The Bold Type” at Build Studio on January 23, 2020 in New York City. (Photo by Jim Spellman/Getty Images)

Season 4 reached an arguably tenuous conclusion, with filming forced to stop due to the pandemic. Aisha Dee, who plays Kat, also took to Instagram to share her displeasure with her character’s latest storyline – which saw Kat controversially date the conservative daughter of her company’s president, who Kat discovers supports queer conversion therapy. “It was heartbreaking to watch Kat’s story turn into a redemption story for someone else, someone who is complicit in the oppression of so many. Someone who’s politics are actively harmful to her communities,” she wrote.

The network scrambled to re-do the final scenes in the days leading up to the finale, which instead aired with Kat ending things. “We applaud Aisha for raising her hand and starting conversations around these important issues,” Freeform and Universal TV said in a statement of the change. “We look forward to continuing that dialogue and enacting positive change. Our goal on The Bold Type is and has always been to tell entertaining, authentic stories that are representative of the world that Kat, Jane and Sutton live in—we can only do that if we listen.”