Insecure ended following the season 5 finale, and that's precisely how Issa Rae, the series co-creator and star, wanted it to be. The HBO comedy-drama series ran from 2016 to 2021 and was met with widespread acclaim from critics and fans alike. Insecure received numerous accolades, including 14 nominations at the Primetime Emmy Awards and one win for Outstanding Single-Camera Picture Editing For A Comedy Series in 2020 for a season 4 episode. Plus, Rae received three nominations for Outstanding Lead Actress In A Comedy Series throughout the show's five-season run.
Despite the show's apparent success, HBO announced in 2021 that season 5 would be Insecure's last. Of course, five seasons is a significant accomplishment for any television series. But some wondered why the show was coming to an end since it was so well-made and had received so much notoriety, and the answer lies with Issa Rae.
Issa Rae Planned On Insecure Only Having Five Seasons
From the beginning of Insecure, Issa Rae and her fellow executive producers decided that the HBO series should only be five seasons. She had a plan for what she wanted the show to be, and she fulfilled her goals. During an interview with Deadline, Rae explained, "We always planned to tell this story through five seasons, but we couldn't have made it this far without the tremendous of our audience."
Because of the comedy-drama's success, Rae and her collaborators were able to bring their five-season plan to life. They gave their characters, including Rae's Issa, Molly, Lawrence, and Nathan, fulfilling endings and gave their show a satisfying conclusion. Rae Insecure: Best Running Jokes From The Series
Insecure Ending After Season 5 Let Issa Rae Embark On Other Projects
Although Insecure was undoubtedly a career highlight for Rae and was something she was very proud of, its ending allowed the actress and writer to explore other avenues in Hollywood. Following the announcement that the fifth season of the HBO series would be its last, Rae revealed that her production company, Hoorae Media, had signed a five-year film and television deal with WarnerMedia worth $40 million. So she will continue creating new projects for HBO and Max as a part of the deal. Regarding the ending of Insecure and branching out with other projects, Rae told People:
"I'm so grateful to be able to play this character, who is obviously a version of me, and in the same way that I want this character to grow, I want to be able to grow too. So I think that's what comes with it — I've played her for a long time, and I have so much more that I want to do."
Additionally, Rae has starred in high-profile projects since her HBO show ended, including the highly-anticipated film Barbie and Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse. She will reprise her voice role as Jessica Drew/Spider-Woman in Spider-Man: Beyond the Spider-Verse in 2024. Sony also has a Spider-Woman film in development, but there has been no announcement regarding Rae's involvement. So following the Insecure series finale, Rae is thriving.
Sources: Deadline and People