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Farewell to the Fosters: Beloved family gets the send-off it deserves

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Author: 
Andrew Warren / TV Media
Teri Polo and Sherri Saum star in "The Fosters"

Teri Polo and Sherri Saum star in "The Fosters"

Farewell to the Fosters: It's always so nice when a favorite show gets a proper send-off. So many series are canceled suddenly and without warning, with their writers never given a chance to end things in a satisfying way. Luckily, one of Freeform's most successful series is getting the finale it deserves.

"The Fosters" premiered in 2013 and immediately attracted a loyal audience drawn in by the story of foster moms Stef (Teri Polo, "Meet the Parents," 2000) and Lena (Sherri Saum, "Rescue Me") raising five kids together. For its fans, it's a very special show, and that deserves a very special three-night finale, starting Monday, June 4, and concluding Wednesday, June 6, on Freeform.

In the series, the lesbian couple raises Stef's biological son Brandon (David Lambert, "Aaron Stone"), a pair of adopted twins (Noah Centineo, "T@gged" and Cierra Ramirez, "The Secret Life of the American Teenager") and two foster children (Maia Mitchell, "Teen Beach Movie," 2013, and Hayden Byerly, "Parenthood"), whom they later legally adopt into their family.

The popularity of "The Fosters" no doubt comes in part from its refusal to step gingerly around the real issues that a large, multi-ethnic family headed by parents in a non-traditional relationship faces on a day-to-day basis. It's a sad thing that the series is coming to an end, but sometimes, the end is really just the beginning.

The network has given the green light to begin production on a spinoff series starring Ramirez and Mitchell reprising their roles of Mariana and Callie and set several years after this week's finale, launching new stories in the lives of the young adults. Several other cast members are also currently in talks to join the new series.

"The Fosters" may be coming to an end, but with a spinoff early on in production, this ending is really just the start of a new chapter for the beloved family. The special three-night finale begins Monday, June 4, on Freeform.

 

Final track: At the end of every album is that final track -- the one that the artist or band has honored with a very special place. For "Nashville," a series that's already played that final tune once, the swan song is playing again.

"Nashville" returns from its mid-season hiatus on Thursday, June 7, on CMT, with more music and more drama for one last encore. The final eight episodes will finally close the stories of Will (Chris Carmack, "The O.C."), Juliette (Hayden Panettiere, "Heroes"), Scarlet (Clare Bowen, "Not Suitable for Children," 2012), Deacon (Charles Esten, "Big Love") and all of the other friends and rivals.

The musical series that shines a dramatic spotlight on the country music industry premiered in 2012 on ABC, with Connie Britton ("9-1-1") headlining the cast as an established superstar watching her star fade as a young singer's (Panettiere) began to outshine her own. Britton left the series in the fifth season, not long after the show found a new home on CMT following its cancellation by ABC.

It isn't often that a canceled show is brought back due to a fan outcry -- after all, cancellations rarely happen without a good reason -- but "Nashville" has enjoyed two additional seasons on CMT. It's unlikely that the series will be resurrected yet again, but for fans who followed the show from its former network, those extra episodes really are the icing on the cake.

Loyal "Nashville" fans won't want to miss one second of its final season's second half, filled with all of the country music and drama that they've come to expect, premiering Thursday, June 7, on CMT.

 

Back for an encore: In a crowded musical competition landscape, any new series needs to stand out, and Fox's entry into the genre this past winter certainly did that. "The Four: Battle for Stardom" was such a success that it was immediately given a second season, which premieres Thursday, June 7, only four months after the first season's finale.

The faces this season should look pretty familiar to anyone who watched the first. Music superstar Fergie returns to her role of presenter, with rapper Sean Combs, R&B star Meghan Trainor and record producer DJ Khaled all back as panelists. Music executive Charlie Walk, who was the fourth panelist for most of the first season, left the show following allegations of sexual misconduct.

Unlike other singing competitions, "The Four" doesn't start out with tryouts. Instead, the four finalists have already been chosen. In each episode, hopefuls challenge one of the four finalists to a sing-off, with the winner getting to stay in the competition.

The finalists changed frequently over the course of the first season, with two of the original four not even surviving their first challenges. Will the original four fare any better this season? "The Four: Battle for Stardom" returns Thursday, June 7, on Fox.