Why won't there be The Split season 4? Abi Morgan explains show end
"I always knew that I wanted to build to this."
The Split season 3 is upon us, and with it the end of the hit drama as a whole.
The BBC confirmed last year that the hit series' third season would be its last, and would conclude proceedings with "the most dramatic and heart-breaking series to date".
Now, creator Abi Morgan has spoken about her decision to end the popular series now, rather than continue the story in a fourth season.
Morgan explained: “It was always the plan and in fact I don’t think I’m saying anything out of turn here, the BBC would have loved us to have gone on really. But I always conceived it as three.
"The Split was meant to be about the legacy of the split, and season 1 is really Hannah reflecting on her childhood and the legacy of her parents' divorce, and then 2 was about the affair. And then 3 is really about Hannah facing her own divorce. So I'd always considered it as three.
"And I love writing for those characters and I'm sure I will kick myself again and again. But I also feel like, how many times can you bring people back together and split them up and bring them back together? It would become a different show."
Morgan explained that while she finds the world of divorce law "so intriguing and fascinating" and loves the "amazing" family at the centre of the show, she "just wanted to go and reinvent again somewhere else".
"I always knew that I wanted to build to this because at the heart of the show is this idea that not all divorces are failure, just some marriages are finite," Morgan continued.
"And I wanted to show this fantastic, robust, complex friendship, which is at the heart of Hannah and Nathan's marriage. So I really think that's what series 3 is about."
When asked whether the BBC was sad to see the show come to an end, Morgan noted: "Actually, I think more than anything, they're excited about the next thing and the next genesis of whatever that will be. But also, we're in this amazing era of television and I feel so lucky to have got five, six years working with that kind of constellation of actors.
"And there is an alchemy that you search for in a cast that you don't always get. There's always one person who slightly drives you up the wall, or someone else who doesn't like being in the show, but this was a unique experience.
"You can feel the energy in that show, they really do genuinely get on. It is like a family. I know people say those trite, twee things, but it really is. And so I think that was great, I hope that translates to an audience."
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Morgan noted that the series has been "fantastic" for the BBC, coming in as "the third highest-rated show in 2020".
"We came out last series with 6 million viewers, 19 million streams, and we're in this exciting age where these stories really travel," Morgan continued.
"It's being made in Turkey, and it's being made in Italy, and I think they're talking about South Korea, so I'm sure The Split will keep reappearing globally. But for me I just knew that I'd come to the end of this story, which was about Hannah and Nathan and that family."
Additional reporting by Abby Robinson.
The Split's third and final season begins on BBC One on 4th April 2022 at 9pm, and seasons 1 and 2 are available to stream on BBC iPlayer. Take a look at what else is on with our TV guide.
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Authors
James Hibbs is a Drama Writer for Radio Times, covering programmes across both streaming platforms and linear channels. He previously worked in PR, first for a B2B agency and subsequently for international TV production company Fremantle. He possesses a BA in English and Theatre Studies and an NCTJ Level 5 Diploma in Journalism.
