With the Tell Me Lies Season 3 finale out on Hulu now, thoughts will no doubt be turning to whether we’re getting a Season 4. And, well, there’s some news from showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer.
The hit drama series has put us, the viewers, through the wringer with its latest chapter. Stephen is more manipulative than ever, causing Lucy to fall apart, Pippa’s been cheating on Wrigley with Diana, and Wrigley’s been secretly falling in love with Bree (and vice-versa).
And that’s before we even get to the return of Bree’s mother Mary, Lucy’s complicated situationship with newcomer Alex, and the events in the 2015 storyline. In short, there’s a lot of plot points to wrap up in Tell Me Lies Season 3 Episode 8.
We won’t spoil any of that here, but we will dive into why Season 4 isn’t going ahead. The decision may come as a surprise to any of you still reeling from that finale, but there is a silver lining.
Why Tell Me Lies Season 4 isn’t going ahead
The reason is simple: the writers believe Tell Me Lies reached its natural conclusion with Season 3. Notably, the Hulu show is based on Carola Lovering’s 2018 book of the same name, and the writers have already extended the series far beyond the pages.
They felt that pushing into a fourth season would risk stretching the story too far and ruining it for fans, especially with the 2009 timeline now seeing the core characters going in different directions.
Tell Me Lies showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer announced the news on Instagram, writing, “After three amazing seasons of Tell Me Lies, tonight’s episode will be the series finale. This was always the ending my writing team and I had in mind, and we are insanely proud of it.
“Your incredible response to this season inspired us to explore whether there was another organic way to continue the story, but ultimately we felt it had reached its natural conclusion.
“My main goal has always been to protect the quality of the show and give you the best experience I can give you.
“And so, while it is bittersweet to leave something that has been such a happy experience, I am very grateful that we are able to tell a complete story with an intentional ending – a privilege very few shows get.”
Oppenheimer elaborated further in a new interview with Deadline, saying, “I think three seasons is the perfect amount.”
When asked whether the team considered continuing for another chapter, she replied, “Obviously we love making the show, and I love our audience.
“But I had had so many conversations with our writers, and when you actually look at what could happen next, Lucy’s not in school anymore. Most of the cast are graduating college in the future. They’re all living in different places. They’re not in the same industry.
“There’s not a lot connecting them, so, while I think it’s such a privilege to know when a show is ending and be able to write an ending and quit while you’re ahead, it’s hard.
“For me, it was just about do I think there’s another season in here that’s going to be as good, that’s not going to feel like a completely different show? And I felt like it would have to be completely re-imagined. The framing device is over.
“So yeah, while it’s difficult, I think the worst case scenario would be turning in something I didn’t believe in. And also just knowing how much the cast loved this ending, and they were the people who’d been embodying these characters for so long. That gave me a lot of peace about it.”
Oppenheimer has been warning us that Tell Me Lies would likely end with Season 3 for some time, but even so, fans have been left feeling disappointed. “The fact that this was dropped on us at 9pm is giving Stephen DeMarco level toxic,” joked one.
“Could you reconsider??? We would like more seasons please,” said another, while a third added, “I get it but then I don’t. People are just now discovering the show and its HUGE! You could of kept it up two more seasons.”
Others are just celebrating what great TV it has been, including this person who said, “Congratulations! It’s been a wild three seasons! SO proud!” Another wrote, “The show has been chef’s kiss!”
Meaghan Oppenheimer working on “edgy, twisted” new TV show
As promised, it’s not all bad news. Season 4 won’t be going ahead, but Oppenheimer is working on a new series and it sounds Tell Me Lies-coded.
In her Instagram post, she wrote, “We are excited to bring you more stories in the near future.” Expanding on this, the showrunner told Deadline, “I don’t think I’m able to talk too specifically about it, but I have something that I’m working on.
“I have my overall deal with 20th Television, so I’m developing a new thing with them, and it’s definitely about dark, twisted relationships, but it’s a little bit more revolving around adult siblings and their lives and their kind of interconnectedness.
“I really want to do a family drama that feels as edgy and twisted and addictive as Tell Me Lies. I have a lot of experience with dysfunctional families. So yeah, that’s the world.”
She continued, “When I say twisty drama, I mean that anything that comes from my brain will inevitably be a little bit f**ked up because that’s just the way that my brain works. I mean, I don’t think Tell Me Lies is that f**ked up, but other people do!
“My barometer for what causes me anxiety, I think, is probably different than other people. But I am not interested in moralizing, I guess I would say. I’m not interested in television that is trying to teach a specific lesson.
“I’m just trying to tell stories that reflect things that I’ve seen and that make me feel something.”
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