Good Trouble's Showrunner Talks Bittersweet Finale, End of An Era & The Fosters' Legacy

It’s the tip of an period.

With Good Trouble Season 5 Episode 20, we noticed a big chapter shut for this refreshing, conscientious, and galvanizing sequence.

Sadly, not solely did the sequence finale mark the tip of Good Trouble, nevertheless it additionally meant the final chapter of The Fosters franchise closed.

The sequence’ finish leaves an enormous void within the tv panorama for comparable sequence that mixed a discovered household factor with a well timed exploration of social points whereas bending genres.

We’ve misplaced one thing particular, and that is a sentiment we unpack in our Good Trouble Series Finale Review.

But TV Fanatic had the pleasure of talking with co-creator, showrunner, and EP Joanna Johnson.

She chatted about ending a decade-long journey, the surprising cancellation, and the affect Good Trouble leaves behind.

If you have not watched the sequence finale already, be warned that there are spoilers under!

I imagine Davia acknowledges what all of us really feel about it being the tip of an period properly. What’s it like so that you can finish not solely this sequence but additionally a decade-long franchise?

Yeah, it’s totally emotional. I really feel very unhappy.

But on the identical time, I additionally really feel so grateful and blessed to have been on this 10-season journey with all these superb characters, actors, and crew. Much of our crew has been with us the entire time.

When on this enterprise, do you get a possibility to work with somebody for 11 years, you recognize? It would not occur. And so I am unable to be something however grateful and really feel extremely blessed.

Of course, it is unhappy. I do not like change. I do not like endings; as Alice says, I do not like issues to finish.

But we glance again on the journey; you possibly can’t be bitter about it. Because there was simply a lot that was good.

Five years is a really very long time for this business. It’s bittersweet, however no less than it made it this far.

Yes, precisely.

Unfortunately, of course, the sequence was canceled, so my query is: did you all the time have a particular ending you had in thoughts for this sequence? How shut had been you to get to that?

I’d have executed the present so long as they picked it up.

People would ask me, “Well, don’t you want to do something different?” But you are engaged on one thing you’re keen on, and also you get rather a lot of inventive freedom, which we received from Freeform — all the time such an exquisite place to work. They had been so supportive.

You get to work with all your folks you have been with for ten years; why would you stroll away from that? Why go away to go on the market and attempt to get a brand new present on the air, which isn’t straightforward?

I hadn’t discovered the ending however needed to do the Jamie and Callie wedding ceremony. I’m bummed that we weren’t in a position to try this. We had been going to attempt to do it, however we simply did not have the cash allotted to have the ability to do it.

I actually would have liked to try this. And there have been extra tales to inform with these unbelievable characters.

But we received to inform rather a lot of fantastic tales. Again, that is how I select to take a look at this now. Yes, it is unhappy, however I’m simply so grateful for the expertise.

I really like the ultimate scene as a result of, of course, the rooftop and the pool felt full circle. We began the sequence with Callie and Mariana and ended it with them. Can you stroll me via that last scene? It felt prefer it was as a lot Cierra and Maia as Mariana and Callie.

Absolutely, and it was. I wrote all these scenes, the brand new scenes, however particularly that roof scene, to be extra than simply concerning the characters. They had been additionally for the actors and the present — after they ask, “Do you think we’ll be remembered? Do you think we made an impact?”

And it was the identical for the ladies on the finish, when Cierra says, “It’s been quite a journey.” And then Maia says, “There’s no one I’d rather have done it with.”

That was for them, too, as a result of these two are like sisters in actual life. They’re so shut. And they have been working collectively since they had been 17 and 19.

They’ve been on this journey for 11-12 years of their lives. I knew it could be extremely emotional for them, as for all of us.

Everybody behind the digicam was crying.

The ladies mentioned, “Look, it will be actually laborious saying these strains. How a lot crying would you like us to do, and the way a lot will we let it go? We advised them to do a pair holding it in, after which after that, simply let it occur.

And, of course, we use the takes the place they largely let it occur. They might have simply damaged down sobbing, however that would not have been an excellent scene. But, such as you mentioned, it is full circle. It needed to finish with them and on the roof, like within the pilot.

I really like that it felt prefer it was them, and poor Cierra Ramirez has been crying a lot this season already. She’s been, my God, she’s been phenomenal. So I am unable to wait to see what she does subsequent.

She’s so proficient. I feel she’s superb!

Now, for Mariana, was it all the time going to be Evan? Obviously, on the finale’s starting, she mentioned she was transferring on, however by the tip, she was with Evan. Was it all the time speculated to be him? And what makes them a greater endgame? How will they be higher this time?

I wasn’t satisfied that Evan was the endgame till this final season with the reminiscence loss and seeing the 2 of them collectively. And I fell fully in love with the 2 of them collectively. I really like her with Joaquin, too.

But I additionally felt just like the viewers actually needed Evan. And I did not even hesitate. I simply suppose the 2 of them are so charming collectively and cute, they usually even have nice chemistry as actors.

Oh, yeah. Cierra was nice this season, however so was T.J. He had rather a lot of heavy stuff to take care of and did a extremely nice job.

He did.

The theme was that characters had been true to themselves whereas nonetheless pursuing their goals in the course of the finale. How did you determine what that may appear to be for every character, particularly with quick discover?

We simply needed to type of wrap it up. And so we needed to be like, “And what are you going to do? And what are you doing next?” It wasn’t probably the most elegant, however we needed to know who selected whom and the resolutions of sure tales.

We additionally needed to know what’s subsequent. Everybody received to let the viewers know the place they had been going sooner or later. Everyone has a fairly blissful ending, which is good.

As I mentioned, we simply needed to wrap it up. We did not have rather a lot of time to shoot, so I knew the scene could not go on and on. No one desires to listen to rather a lot of exposition. I did not need an excessive amount of exposition.

I perceive. Since there are such a lot of plots, is there one particular plot you hate that you just could not develop on or wrap up a bit bit extra?

I had completely different plans for the Silas wrap-up, however I additionally preferred what we had. We could not return to the farm the place we had been taking pictures, so we needed to shoot that on levels.

I knew we needed to do one thing fast. I feel it truly made sense that it got here full circle to Jenna.

I’d have preferred to have executed the Callie and Jamie wedding ceremony, however I used to be glad we received to do the engagement occasion.

And we received to see all our Fosters and mothers in that episode. I’m glad we had that as their type of finale.

I needed to see Malika operating for workplace and see these debates and the way youthful individuals who do not essentially have 20 years in authorities can run for workplace and make a distinction. I’d have loved exploring that.

Davia would not have gone to New York. We had a narrative that stored her right here that I preferred as properly. But you recognize.

You introduced up the characters’ musing on the pool, which was nice, talking about their affect and the way they hope they made such a distinction. I completely liked that and received emotional at that half.

What legacy do you hope Good Trouble leaves behind?

First and foremost, I hope the legacy Good Trouble leaves behind is love, the significance of the love of household, whether or not it is chosen or the household you had been born into or adopted into or fostered with.

I hope it reminds folks how necessary these bonds are and the way necessary it’s for everybody to have a household of pals in addition to their very own household surrounding them.

I hope we confirmed folks characters that are not essentially mainstream in tv. The Fosters was the primary present and nonetheless the one present, I feel, on TV about two lesbian girls elevating kids.

We see that LGBTQ+ folks can and are actually good dad and mom. We see that love is love, and that is what issues probably the most.

I’m hoping that we had been capable of begin conversations about racism and policing. I’m proud of these, of the Black Lives Matter storyline we did in 2017 earlier than 2020.

I hope it opened some folks’s eyes as a result of I do not suppose folks perceive.

I feel rather a lot of individuals are very blind to the very fact of police aggression and brutality in direction of folks of coloration and in addition the charges of incarceration for folks of coloration.

They do not fairly perceive or possibly select to disregard how this devastates these communities and households.

I’m hoping that individuals discovered a bit from the present and possibly received curious and determined to do some extra analysis.

But in the end, of course, the concept is to entertain. So I hope that individuals stroll away saying that it was a extremely enjoyable present to look at as properly.

Absolutely. I’m a diehard fan of the Fosters as properly. It’s one of the best household dramas of all time. Good Trouble prolonged in an unorthodox method. You all have fully influenced and impressed folks with each sequence.

I hope so. I actually hope so. And I hope folks hold discovering it on Hulu and watching it.

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If you wish to relive all the sweetness of this sequence, you possibly can stream all seasons of Good Trouble on Hulu.

You also can try our Good Trouble Reviews.