Keep or Cancel: Can we make a Jane the Virgin season 5 renewal happen?
Let’s start things off with this: Jane the Virgin is giving us a really fun, tremendously entertaining season 4. One of the only reasons why this isn’t being discussed more is simply because of where it is in its run. There tends to be a media tendency to start to forget about shows once you get into the third or fourth season. It happens with most comedies and dramas, and it’s probably even harder when your show airs on The CW. Unfortunately, this network has been viewed by some rather-snotty critics over time as the one devoid of high art; yet, its shows may be pound-for-pound more entertaining than most others. Isn’t that what we watch TV to have?
Jane the Virgin is a transformative show for The CW. Thanks to the writing and the performance of Gina Rodriguez, awards voters take the network more seriously; beyond that, it has shown that a comedic primetime soap can succeed with a diverse cast and without a smorgasbord of promotion. Its found a way in the landscape and, this season especially, continues to chug along despite airing in a tough timeslot.
We know that the season 4 ratings are down more than 25% in terms of live demo figures; we also know that things aren’t necessarily better in total viewers. Yet, consider the timeslot, consider the quality, and consider the show’s run. We hope that CW bosses are considering all of them when debating as to whether or not a Jane the Virgin season 5 should happen. For all of the value that this series has instilled in you, there should be some sort of interest in trying to return the favor. There has been no indication that season 4 is meant to be the end of the series. If we are near the end, allow the show to bow out gracefully. Give it another season, set the episode count, and then bill it as the final season. Would we love to see Jane the Virgin run beyond that? Sure, but more than anything we deserve a proper ending. The same goes for the cast and crew. After following Jane, Rafael, Rogelio, and others for so long, reaching the end of the metaphorical storybook is critical.
Often we tend to narrow down these Keep or Cancel articles into a specific formula; here, there’s really no need. We recognize there’s a chance that The CW could cancel Jane the Virgin, but we just don’t see it. We think that it will return; maybe that’s wishful thinking, or maybe that’s a cognizance that this is a network that loves to do the right thing. Look at The Vampire Diaries, The Originals, or many of its other long-running series. They have a chance to end on their own terms. So should Jane the Virgin.
Do you think that a Jane the Virgin season 5 should happen on The CW? Vote in the attached poll, and be sure to like CarterMatt on Facebook in the event you want some other news regarding the series. (Photo: The CW.)