Words by Fatima S. Barrie
After four seasons, the curtains are closing.
BET’s drama series Being Mary Jane starring Gabrielle Union, follows the life of Pauletta “Mary Jane Paul” Patterson, a news anchor who tries to balance her demanding career and struggling familial and romantic relationships. Originally created by Mara Brock Akil and ran by her and her husband Salim Akil for three seasons, the torch was passed onto Erica Shelton Kodish who succeeded Brock Akil as show-runner and executive producer of the show. Shelton Kodish produced the fourth the final season before leaving for a TV deal at CBS.
The network announced that in 2018, a two-hour movie season finale of Being Mary Jane will air in place of a fifth season. The movie finale takes Being Mary Jane back to its film roots, as the series first premiered on BET in 2012 as a TV movie, before turning into the successful series. Deadline reported Connie Orlando, BET’s EVP and Head of Programming farewell message to fans, “We are grateful to the cast and creators of Being Mary Jane, who have worked tirelessly to bring this world to vivid life over the past 4 seasons. We also thank the many loyal viewers whose hearts and minds were captured every week, and kept Mary Jane trending worldwide. We look forward to closing out Mary Jane’s journey with a series finale that is sure to blow fans away!”
Gabrielle Union also shared her gratitude and heartfelt thanks with supporters on Instagram, “More than anything, however, we want to thank you with every fiber of our being for faithfully watching the show and supporting our work.” Being Mary Jane made a major impact on BET through its tackle of taboo topics and relevancy with many black women. Stay tuned for a release date of the season finale.
