LOS ANGELES, Calif. — The Peter Paige/Bradley Bredeweg/Joanna Johnson Freeform series “The Fosters” will end its run with its summer season.

The series focuses on lesbian, same-sex married couple Stef Foster (Teri Polo), a police officer, and Lena Adams (Sherri Saum), a charter school vice principal, who take in troubled teenager Callie (Maia Mitchell) as a foster child as it navigates compelling and cutting-edge issues within the family unit and the outside world. The series has touched on topics including immigration, foster care and juvenile court systems, rape, adoption, parenting, mental health issues, traumatic brain injuries, same-sex marriage, discrimination, sexuality and sexual orientation, recovery, and others.

“The Fosters” began its winter season on Jan. 9 with a full 10-episode run. The summer season will be a three-episode installment, upon which a spinoff series will be introduced starring Cierra Ramirez (Mariana Adams Foster) and Maia Mitchell (Callie Adams Foster) in their young adult lives, Deadline Hollywood reported.

Taking a page out of the playbook of “Pretty Little Liars,” the network’s largest all-time series, the age jump of Mariana and Callie will take them to new adventures in Los Angeles, Calif. Other series regulars will make guest appearances.

“It’s been the privilege of our lives to get to shepherd this beautiful family through five seasons of love, laughter, heartbreak, tribulation, and triumph — and message to the world that DNA doesn’t make a family, love does. All while allowing us to explore some of the most pressing social issues of our era. Now that the kids are growing up, it’s time to take them out into the world, to see them make their way into adulthood, continuing their search for identity and love, and the pursuit of their dreams and purpose in this ever changing world,” Paige, Bredeweg and Johnson told Deadline.

The original series also stars David Lambert (Brandon Foster, Stef’s biological son), Noah Centineo (Jesus, Mariana’s twin brother, who was adopted along with her) and Hayden Byerly (Jude, Callie’s half-brother who is also adopted by the couple), in addition to police officer Danny Nucci (Mike Foster, ex-husband to Stef and father to Brandon). Some other series regulars are Alexandra Barreto (Ana Gutierrez, the twins’ biological mother) and Lorraine Toussaint (Lena’s mother), among others. Special guests throughout the series included Rosie O’Donnell, Annie Potts, Patrick Duffy and Rob Morrow.

The groundbreaking series earned praise for its portrayal of LGBTQ characters and issues, Deadline added. It won two GLAAD and a Teen Choice Award. It also became a bedrock for ABC Family which became Freeform, tackling controversial issues without hesitancy. “The Fosters” has been one of the network’s highest rated and most watched series in its entirety, and its current season ranks second in total viewers to the final chapter of “Pretty Little Liars,” the highest ranked in the network’s history.

Paige and Polo were guests at a Human Rights Campaign Carolina dinner in 2014 where it presented Paige with the 2014 HRC Visibility Award for his work with “The Fosters.” Paige was also an ensemble cast member of “Queer as Folk” where he starred as Emmett.

info: deadline.com.

• Category: A&E / Life&Style, Beyond the Carolinas, News
• Tag: Print Edition 2018-01-12, The Fosters, The Fosters ending