TV Land’s 2015 comedy starring Hilary Duff,Younger, is now streaming—and trending—on Netflix, but why did the show conclude with season 7?Youngerran from 2015-2021, originally airing on TV Land. That changed in season 7, withYounger’sfinal season releasing first on Paramount+ and Hulu and later airing on TV Land.
Youngerwas a popular and well-received comedy centered on Liza Miller (Sutton Foster), a recently divorced single mom who learns that the workforce is not all that friendly to women in their 40s. Because of that, Liza gets a job by pretending to be 26 years old. To date,Youngeris very well-regarded, maintaining a staggering 97% critic score on Rotten Tomatoes, with its audience score a bit further behind at 76%.IfYoungerwas such a hit, though, what was the reason for its season 7 conclusion?
Younger Season 7 Was Written As The Final Installment
With its seven seasons,Youngerwas the longest-running scripted series in TV Land’s history when it came to a close. Given the showhad such a long run, it’s little surprise that there were multiple factors influencing the decision to have season 7 be the show’s final season. Even before season 7 had been officially announced, the creator ofYounger, Darren Star, revealed that he was planning the seventh season to be the show’s last, meaningYoungerwas not canceled.
The creator ofYounger, Darren Star, revealed that he was planning the seventh season to be the show’s last, meaningYoungerwas not canceled.
This plan makes sense in light of the direction Star’s career was taking at the time and given the rolesthe cast ofYoungerhad recently signed on for. In 2020, Star’s Netflix show,Emily in Paris, was first released and gained significant traction. AlthoughEmily in Parisdoesn’t have nearly the ratingsYoungerdoes, it has certainly made a name for itself, and it seems, at the time, Star wanted to shift his focus fromYoungerto this brand-new show.
Younger: Where Else You’ve Seen The Cast
From Hilary Duff to Sutton Foster, the Younger cast members have memorable filmographies. Where else have you seen them?
Similarly,Hilary Duff had signed on forHow I Met Your Father, the spin-off show of the extremely popular 9-season sitcomHow I Met Your Mother. That spin-off show premiered in 2022, although, sadly,How I Met Your Fatherseason 3 was canceled, meaning the show ended just one year later, in 2023. Nevertheless, it’s reasonable to assume that Duff also saw her career shifting around this point in time. Sutton Foster, the star ofYounger, was also turning her attention toward other projects, including the children’s animated seriesRidley Jones, in which Foster played Mama Jones.
Season 7 being the conclusion ofYoungeralso felt right in light of the larger story arc of the show. Seven years in, there was only so much that could be done with this initial premise of Liza pretending to be younger than she really was. By season 7, in fact, most major characters were well aware that she had been deceptive about her age. With that story all but resolved, it was time for the show to end.
Why Younger Moved From TV Land To Streaming For Season 7
Younger Ultimately Aired On TV Land, But Only After Its Streaming Service Releases
As mentioned,Youngerwas initially airing on TV Land, only changing course for season 7 and releasing on Paramount+ and Hulu first. It was later made available on TV Land. Originally,Youngerseason 6 was going to make the move to Paramount+, although that was ultimately pushed back. In both cases,this seems to have been part of the effort to restructure the parent media company of both TV Land and Paramount+.
The media company now known as Paramount Global (often called just Paramount) had previously been named ViacomCBS and encompasses many subsidiaries. Among the subsidiaries are Paramount+, TV Land, CBS News, BET, and many others. With so many changes for the umbrella company, it makes sense that certain shows would be moved around,Youngerevidently one of them.
What Younger’s Creator & Cast Have Said About A Revival
Although it was never officially confirmed,there was a heavily rumored spin-off show planned forYounger, which was thought to have been centered on Duff’s character, Kelsey Peters. Creator Darren Star had himself made references to the Duff-focused spin-off. Details around the potential spin-off were never all that clear, including which provider or platform the show would be linked to. However, hopes were high for both audiences and many of theYoungercast members that this spin-off would come to fruition.
Hopes were high for both audiences and many of theYoungercast members that this spin-off would come to fruition.
Sadly, it seems plans for that spin-off were ultimately squashed, although that has led to some interesting conversations of late. In 2023,Youngeractor Nico Tortorella, who played Josh on the show, indicated that there is achance for aYoungerrevival in the future. Specifically, Tortorella said:
“I think that there most likely will be another version of that story at some point. Whether it’s in the next five years, 10 years, who knows? I just can’t imagine there won’t be a film at some point.”
Tortorella is not the onlyYoungercast member who has expressed interest in theYoungerspin-off or revival taking the form of a movie.Hilary Duff wants to do aYoungermovieas well, explaining in reference to a rumored spin-off show,“I think I’d be more excited to do a movie for Younger.”
With ideas still circulating in recent years regarding a possible spin-off show or movie, it seems the future ofYoungermay still be bright. At present, no upcoming show, movie, or other revival has been officially confirmed, but it’s clear that many key cast members remain interested. TV Land’s 7-season hit showYoungercame to an intentional close with season 7, but the story may not truly be over yet.
Younger
Cast
Younger follows Liza Miller, a single mother who struggles to reenter the workforce at 40. After a chance encounter reveals she could pass for 26, she decides to assume a younger identity, securing a position as an assistant at Empirical Press while concealing her true age.
