SDCC ’16 News: Bates Motel to end after season 5

As we all expected, this year’s panel at San Diego Comic-Con officially announced that the fifth season of Bates Motel will be its last. The news isn’t really shocking with the incredibly heartbreaking but inevitable season 4 finale we had in May; executive producers of the A&E critically praised show, Carlton Cuse and Kerry Ehrin, have always been clear of the story they wanted to tell and knew, very early on, how they would close the book.

Besides the sad news coming out of their panel, there was a surprising announcement that R&B singer Rihanna has been cast as the iconic character, Marion Crane. Fans of the Hitchcock film will remember Crane as the character that met her demise in the Bates Motel in the 1960 thriller, Psycho. The show has made a name for itself in telling the iconic story of Norman Bates in a refreshing and modern way, so the announcement makes sense. Rihanna will surely give the role the right mix of contemporary nostalgia Bates Motel has crafted so perfectly over the last four seasons.

With that being said, the producers assured audiences that they will surely take inspiration from the film the series is based on, but will tell their own unique story. Not many more details were revealed about the next and final season of Bates Motel, but I am curious to see how the show will end this chapter of Norman’s life and how that will affect the rest of the characters. With the show we’ve had thus far, I am sure we won’t be disappointed.

What did you think of these announcements? Let us know in the comments below and be sure check into the Bates Motel one last time when it returns in 2017!