Switched at Birth, one of the first mainstream TV series featuring multiple deaf cast members will officially come to an end after its fifth season.
Showrunner Lizzy Weiss announced the news Friday on Twitter:
Switched at Birth’s talented cast includes academy award winning Marlee Matlin, Constance Marie, Katie Leclerc, Vanessa Marano, Sean Berdy, D.W. Moffett, Lea Thompson, Lucas Grabeel, Ryan Lane, and Ivonne Coll.
The drama series shows the lives of two families whose lives are drastically altered after they discover that their daughters, one deaf and the other hearing, were switched at birth. The two families come from different backgrounds, one daughter grew up in low-income neighborhood and the other was raised in an upscale town. Both families immediately unite and together they battle through adversities thrown their way.
Switched at Birth has educated viewers who are unfamiliar with deaf culture and the series actively incorporates American Sign Language on the show.
Last time on Switched at Birth, Regina’s (Marie) love interest Eric (Terrell Tilford) takes his son away from his ex-wife before she regains custody. In addition, Toby (Grabeel) and his girlfriend Lily (Rachel Shenton) welcome their newborn son. Some time passes and lead characters Daphne (Leclerc) and Bay (Marano) are living in China until they abruptly receive an emergency call from back home. They rush back to the U.S. but as with most cliffhangers there’s no indication to what exactly happened back home.
The Freeform series is executive-produced by Weiss (Blue Crush), Paul Stupin (Dawson’s Creek) and Linda Gase (ER).
There is no confirmed date for when the fifth and final season of Switched at Birth will debut.