*BET has announced an end date for its original series “Being Mary Jane.”
In lieu of a fifth-season pickup, the Gabrielle Union drama will close out its run with a two-hour movie to air in 2018 as a series finale, reports Deadline.
The series also launched as a TV movie in July 2013, drawing 4 million viewers ahead of its series premiere the following January.
The decision to end the series with a two-hour movie in lieu of a fifth-season pickup comes three weeks after “Being Mary Jane’s” Season 4 finale aired on Sept. 19.
While Union will star in the series finale, it is unclear yet who else from the cast will return, with the movie’s producing team also TBD, according to Deadline.
For the first three seasons, “Being Mary Jane” was run by creator Mara Brock Akil who, along with her husband/fellow “Being Mary Jane” executive producer Salim Akil, left last year for an overall deal at Warner Bros. TV. (They remained as exec producers.)
Erica Shelton Kodish, who served as showrunner on the 20-episode Season 4, recently departed for an overall deal at CBS TV Studios.
“Being Mary Jane has been a landmark series not only for BET, but for African American women around the world who saw themselves in Mary Jane, her family, friends and coworkers. From the captivating storytelling, to the richly complex characters, to the powerful issues tackled on the series, we remain immensely proud,” said Connie Orlando, EVP and Head of Programming, BET Networks. “We are grateful to the cast and creators of Being Mary Jane, who have worked tirelessly to bring this world to vivid life over the past 4 seasons. We also thank the many loyal viewers whose hearts and minds were captured every week, and kept Mary Jane trending worldwide. We look forward to closing out Mary Jane’s journey with a series finale that is sure to blow fans away!”
The end of Being Mary Jane leaves BET’s drama The Quad, which is coming back. There has been no renewal decision yet on fellow freshmen Tales and Rebel. BET’s scripted series portfolio recently got a boost with two high-profile transfers from VH1, The Breaks and Hit the Floor. On the comedy side, new BET series The Comedy Get Down premieres tonight.
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