Freeform’s “Switched at Birth” TV show stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish. (Freeform/Todd Wawrychuk)

All good things must come to an end… eventually. Freeform confirms the fifth and final season of its Switched at Birth TV series will not premiere until 2017. A couple of weeks before Switched at Birth creator Lizzy Weiss announced the delay on Twitter, she also announced season five would be Switched at Birth‘s last, leaving the show effectively cancelled. This is the first time Freeform has addressed when the show, which ended its fourth season on a cliffhanger, would return.

Switched at Birth stars Katie Leclerc as Daphne Vasquez and Vanessa Marano as Bay Kennish, who were, as the title spells out, switched at birth.  The cast also includes Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, and guest stars Sean Berdy and Marlee Matlin. Weiss, Paul Stupin, and Linda Gase executive produce.

A family drama, Switched at Birth explores early adulthood, blended families, deaf culture, and includes scenes shot in American Sign Language. The series has won a Peabody Award as well as a Television Critics Association Award for Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming, and an Imagen Award for Best Primetime Program.

Freeform says:

“Switched at Birth” will end its five-season run after more than 100 episodes, in early 2017 with a special 90–minute series finale.

The Peabody Award-winning drama series begins its fifth and final season – including the milestone 100th episode – in 2017. The upcoming season picks up from the cliffhanger finale with Daphne and Bay living in China. A mysterious call has them packing for home, where they try to settle back in, but ten months has brought some changes. Daphne finds herself in the midst of racial tensions at the university and witnesses the racism faced by her black friends Iris, Sharee, and new baseball star Chris, in an episode told solely from their perspectives. The 100th episode sees the return of Angelo Sorrento (guest star Gilles Marini) as a vision brought about by a young woman with an unexpected link to the Kennish/Vasquez families. The series is executive-produced by Lizzy Weiss, Paul Stupin and Linda Gase. The series stars Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Constance Marie, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, with guest stars Sean Berdy and Marlee Matlin.

 

Are you a fan of the Switched at Birth TV show? Are you frustrated by the delay? Do you think it is ending at the right time, or should it have been renewed? Let us know, below.