Pose, the groundbreaking FX series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals, is entering its final season. The series' final bow begins on May 2, 2021, with its first two episodes of its seven-episode run, and it will all comes to a close on June 6, 2021.
When Pose debuted in 2018, the series made television history, featuring the largest cast of transgender actors in series regular roles, including MJ Rodriguez, Dominique Jackson, Indya Moore, Hailie Sahar, and Angelica Ross. The show put a spotlight on New York’s underground ball culture, a movement that first gained notice in the 1980s and had a huge impact on the masses when it came to dancing, fashion, and music. Co-creator Ryan Murphy had this to say about the show coming to an end:
"We got to tell the exact story we wanted, as we wanted to tell it, and I’m incredibly honored and grateful. Pose’s story may end in 1996, but its impact will go on forever. Pose has been one of the creative highlights of my entire career. From the very beginning when Steven Canals and I sat down to hear his vision and ideas for the show, it has been a passion project. To go from the beginning of my career in the late 90s when it was nearly impossible to get an LGBTQ character on television to Pose — which will go down in history for having the largest LGBTQ cast of all time — is a truly full circle moment for me."
Pose has also been a true darling of awards season since making its debut on FX. The series won a Peabody Award, AFI Honors, and an Emmy for star Billy Porter, who became the first openly gay man to win the Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. Beyond the series' accolades, executive producer, writer, and director Janet Mock became the first trans woman of color hired as a writer on a TV series, as well as the first transgender woman of color to write and direct a TV episode. Representation and inclusion were at the heart and soul of Pose and it's something that should definitely be celebrated and appreciated.
In the upcoming final season of Pose, we enter 1994, and "ballroom feels like a distant memory for Blanca (Mj Rodriguez) who struggles to balance being a mother with being a present partner to her new love, and her latest role as a nurse’s aide. Meanwhile, as AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell (Billy Porter) contends with unexpected health burdens. Elsewhere, the emergence of a vicious new upstart house forces the House of Evangelista members to contend with their legacy."
A lot of Ryan Murphy shows tend to lose steam but Pose has maintained a lot of artistic integrity. I'm not sure if the plan was to always end with three seasons but it's nice to see a Murphy show end while it's still creatively on top. The amount of history the show made in three short seasons is extraordinary and I'm excited to see how it all ends.
Will YOU be watching the final season of Pose?