We’ve got some good news and bad news regarding Switched at Birth. Freeform finally gave a return date for the fifth and final season but it’s still a long time to wait considering the fourth season finale aired in October of 2015. Series creator Lizzy Weiss broke the news on Twitter last night with this update:
I'll tweet this on a Friday night when no one is listening. We won't be back til 2017, I'm not sure exactly when. BUT WAIT FOR US.
— Lizzy Weiss (@Lizzy_Weiss) March 19, 2016
It's a bummer but it is what it is. I was a fan of Mad Men and I waited forever for its final season. True fans will wait. It's worth it.
— Lizzy Weiss (@Lizzy_Weiss) March 19, 2016
Wow! She has a point that the same thing happened to Mad Men, but Switched at Birth is far from critically acclaimed basic cable hit status. Of course true fans will wait because we have no other option, really. A final season of 10 episodes is surely going to be a love letter to the dedicated viewers. The series finale episode is said to be 90 minutes long.
To keep Bay, Daphne, Toby, etc fresh on your minds, I thought I’d also point out some great behind the scenes shots the cast and crew have shared on social media.
Just recently they shot their 100th episode. Lizzy Weiss shared these photos from the milestone event:
We toasted. We reminisced. We entered the 100 club. And that ain’t nothin. Thank you for being on the journey w us. pic.twitter.com/RIH7lxvVR7
— Lizzy Weiss (@Lizzy_Weiss) March 16, 2016
Star Marlee Matlin also posted some celebratory pictures:
It's a #SwitchedatBirth 100 episode celebration! THANK YOU @SABTVSeries @FreeformTV #groundbreaking #deaftalent pic.twitter.com/D4uZuHylVM
— Marlee Matlin (@MarleeMatlin) March 15, 2016
As far as new cast additions goes, there’s going to be a few new faces in the mix with the Vasquez/Kennish family. Tristin Mays (Sarah from The Vampire Diaries) joins SAB in the sixth episode of the new season as someone with ‘unexpected’ ties to the extended family. Hmm, I wonder if she’ll be a long lost daughter of Angelo (Gilles Marini)? Valery Ortiz (Hit the Floor) will be playing a tattoo artist named Noelle. Naturally, Bay wants to work with her because I guess she’s expanding her art canvas onto the human body next. Michael Galante’s character Luca will be a UMKC student who bonds with Regina.
Here’s a peek at a couple of those new characters:
New character alert @ValsTweet #SwitchedatBirth Season 5 pic.twitter.com/iZIAJqQDRP
— Lizzy Weiss (@Lizzy_Weiss) January 27, 2016
Look at that punim! (That's Yiddish, for the uninitiated). Who is @michaelmgalante? #SwitchedatBirth Season 5 pic.twitter.com/2TDpCfPbb8
— Lizzy Weiss (@Lizzy_Weiss) February 2, 2016
While it does sting that Freeform cancelled the show and then pushed the final season back a whole year, at least we know the cast and crew are preparing for a series finale. As they continue to shoot the season, you can follow along on Twitter/Instagram for more behind the scenes updates.
