BET Cancels ‘Being Mary Jane’ with 2 Hour Movie Finale
MJ is signing off for good! *Insert MJ quote here, for Talk Back this is Mary Jane Paul!
It’s the end of an era for Being Mary Jane. The BET drama starring Gabrielle Union as a news anchor is set to begin and end season five with a two-hour series finale, the same way the show started; making it a full-circle moment.
When the show mades its TV movie debut in July of 2013, it drew in 4 million viewers and was immediately picked up for a full season that January.
“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,” Connie Orlando, EVP and Head of Programming at BET Networks, said in a statement. “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!”
This decision comes just three weeks after the finale of season 4 aired on September 19th. Creator of the series Mara Brock Akil, along with her husband Salim Akil were the show’s frontrunners for the first three seasons. They departed with the network last year to pursue a television deal with Warner Bros. TV. Erica Shelton Kodish served as the show runner for season 4, and expanded the season with 20 episodes. Will Packer stepped in for season four producer, but has also parted ways with the network for a deal with CBS. Perhaps the departure of producers left BET with no other choice but to cancel the series.
Union is expected to return as Mary Jane, but no other cast members or producers from the original series are currently attached.
The finale is scheduled to air in 2018.
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