The Fosters, Freeform’s drama about two moms and their family of biological, adopted, and foster kids, ends tonight after five years on our screens. A spinoff series focusing on their two daughters, Callie and Mariana, will launch next year. Will the moms be back? Let’s look at that, at what the show has meant to me as a lesbian mom, and (of course) a gallery of Stef and Lena.
According to Executive Producer Joanna Johnson (a real-life lesbian mom), the answer is “yes.” She tweeted this yesterday in response to a viewer who asked, “Can we maybe expect to see the moms every so often on the spinoff?” This confirms what Freeform executive Karey Burke told Deadline in January.
I’m delighted to hear this, although as I wrote earlier, it’s still a good thing to have a show starring two characters with queer moms, even if the moms themselves are no longer central. Johnson, along with creators Peter Paige and Bradley Bredeweg, are shepherding the new show, which means it will likely have the same focus on social issues alongside the interpersonal drama. Even if the moms aren’t in every episode, I doubt queer topics and characters will be left out.
Speaking of which: I would also love to see the character Aaron, Callie’s erstwhile love interest, have a regular role on the spinoff. Aaron, played by trans actor Elliot Fletcher, gave us a rarity for television: not only a male trans character, but one who neither ignored nor was totally defined by his trans identity, and whose character was meant to be a heartthrob. He was also one of the more grounded and sensible characters, an antidote to the sometimes questionable decision making of others. I hope at the very least, he has some guest arcs on the new show.
Aaron wasn’t the only trans character on the show, either. An earlier season had trans actor Tom Phelan as trans teen boy Cole, a very different person from Aaron. In fact, although the initial publicity for the show focused on the fact of the two moms, The Fosters has also been groundbreaking for the representation of queer youth, including Aaron, Cole, and the Adams Foster’s son Jude. It also delved into other serious and timely topics like immigration, school shootings, and, of course, youth in foster care.
I will miss Lena and Stef, however, the two moms played by Sherri Saum and Teri Polo. They managed to keep this now-50-something mom (and many more of us) tuned in to a show on a youth network that spent much of its time on angsty teen drama. They gave us role models of queer women not just trying to have kids (an old trope), but raising them while balancing careers and their own relationship. They had ups and downs and fights and romance and a comfy afghan blanket. (And this moment that far too many of us can relate to.) They showed us what it was like to struggle with some of the challenges of queer parents, but even more, with the challenges any parent might face, and they did it with love and grace.
It feels like just yesterday I was speculating on the comparison between The Fosters and The Brady Bunch and writing a review of the first episode. I guess TV shows grow up almost as fast as kids. Thanks to all of the producers, writers, actors, and others for bringing us The Fosters. I will be forever grateful.
Let’s end with a gallery of Stef and Lena, just because. I’ll see you on Twitter tonight at 8 p.m. ET for #TheFostersFinale.
