Dickinson to end with third season on AppleTV+

Dickinson, AppleTV+’s weird and wonderful Emily Dickinson almost-biopic, is officially ending after three seasons.

Coming less than a year after the end of its second season, the first three episodes of season 3 series will air on November 5, 2021, with the series finale arriving on December 24. This announcement feels more like coal in the stockings of Dickinson fans than a gift, seeing as the series has garnered both a dedicated fan base and critical acclaim since its premiere in 2019.

The third season will follow Emily and her family as they cope with the Civil War, which has been brewing in the background of the series since its first season.

The official series synopsis, which was released via Decider, reads:

"“In the third season, Emily Dickinson’s most productive time as an artist falls amid the raging American Civil War and an equally fierce battle that divides her own family. As Emily tries to heal the divides around her, she wonders if art can help keep hope alive, and whether the future can be better than the past.”"

Apple also released an announcement trailer, which featured Emily fighting on the front lines, a few encounters with Sue Gilbert, and another carriage ride with Death. Besides Wiz Khalifa’s Death, more returning guest stars include Zosia Mamet as Louisa May Alcott and Will Pullen as Nobody. As per the Hollywood Reporter, new faces include Billy Eichner as Walt Whitman, Ziwe as Sojourner Truth, and Chole Fineman as Sylvia Plath.

As utterly devastating as the news is, this ending is apparently exactly what showrunner Alena Smith had planned for the series from the beginning.

In a statement released in conjunction with the announcement of the series’ final season, Smith said: “When I set out to make Dickinson, I envisioned the show as a three-season journey that would tell the origin story of America’s greatest female poet in a whole new way, highlighting Emily’s relevance and resonance to our society today.”

She ends the statement by expressing her gratitude to Hailee Steinfeld, the team behind Dickinson, and AppleTV+, with whom she signed an overall deal in 2020.

Emily Dickinson once wrote: “Unable are the loved to die, for love is immortality,” and with Dickinson coming to an end, just 30 short episodes after it started, the impact of the series will continue on in the people who were touched by it, myself included.

It’s not often that you can feel yourself watching a future cult classic as it’s airing, but Dickinson’s brilliant take on Emily is destined to live on for years to come. If not for the stunning performances by its leading cast or for the wonderfully sharp humor, it’ll live on for its effortless testimonial that history is a circle, always destined to repeat itself. As Emily deals with divides in season 3, viewers can see divides in their own communities, and we can all only hope, along with Emily, that art truly can keep hope alive.

This news, although bittersweet, leaves viewers with something wonderful to look forward to, with many assurances that this season is their best one yet.

Dickinson will return for its third and final season in November.