As expected, A&E has renewed Bates Motel for a fourth season. The cable channel has also ordered a fifth season as well. The 20 new episodes will begin airing in 2016 and will presumably finish in 2017.

Executive producer Carlton Cuse has previously said that he saw Bates Motel running for five seasons so this could end up being the drama’s final renewal.

Here’s the press release:

A&E NETWORK GREENLIGHTS TWO MORE SEASONS OF THE ORIGINAL DRAMA SERIES “BATES MOTEL”

20 EPISODES ORDERED TO AIR IN 2016

NEW YORK, NY – June 15, 2015 – A&E Network has ordered twenty episodes of the acclaimed drama series, “Bates Motel” from Universal Television it was announced today by Rob Sharenow, Executive Vice President and General Manager, A&E and Lifetime.

“The vision of our incredible creative team has exposed the steady breakdown of the relationship between Norman and Norma Bates,” said Sharenow. “We are thrilled to bring fans two more seasons to witness the next stages of Norman’s transformation into the most notorious psychopath in cinematic history.”

New episodes of “Bates Motel” will begin production later this year and will air over two seasons, starting in 2016.

“Bates Motel” has garnered a truly loyal fan base over the past three seasons. Vera Farmiga (Up In The Air, The Conjuring) in her Emmy-nominated role as Norma Bates, and Freddie Highmore (Charlie and the Chocolate Factory) as Norman star alongside Max Thieriot (Disconnect, “Texas Rising”), Olivia Cooke (Me and Earl and the Dying Girl) and Nestor Carbonell (“Lost,” The Dark Knight Rises).

The 2015 Critics’ Choice Television Awards just recently nominated Vera Farmiga and Freddie Highmore for Best Actress and Actor in a Drama Series.

“Bates Motel” serves as a contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho and provides viewers with an intimate portrayal of how Norman Bates unravels through his teenage years.

“Bates Motel” is produced by Universal Television for A&E Network. Kerry Ehrin and Carlton Cuse serve as executive producers for Carlton Cuse Productions and Kerry Ehrin Productions.

What do you think? Are you glad to hear that Bates Motel has been renewed for seasons four and five? Do you think that should be the end of the series?