‘Hightown’ Season 3: Will It Happen? What’s Taking So Long?
Since streaming platforms took over as the number one choice for watching TV series, there’s been a huge amount of awesome shows that kind of flew under the radar. One such show is Hightown, a Starz TV series that’s an absolute gem. That being said, Season 3 is taking a very long to arrive, so will Hightown Season 3 happen, and if so, what’s taking so long?
Starz officially confirmed that Hightown was renewed for Season 3 on March 1, 2022, and production started in May. However, there’s still no official release date other than reports saying it’ll likely arrive in the second half of 2023. The main reason, it seems, is the split between Lionsgate and Starz.
The split-up delayed a lot of shows, and now that it’s settled, it kind of created a clog of shows yet to come. Starz likes to add content gradually instead of in huge bunches, which is probably why we’re waiting for so long. That being said, here is everything we know about Season 3, including updates, release predictions, and more.
Hightown: A brief synopsis
Hightown is a Starz original series that premiered in 2020. The crime/drama/mystery series is set in Cape Cod and revolves around the life of Jackie Quinones, portrayed by the uniquely talented Monica Raymund.
Jackie is a woman struggling on her path to sobriety. She went through a lot, but it’s not getting any easier. A murder investigation pulls Jackie deep into the mix, as the trying-to-stay-sober National Marine Fisheries Service agent finds a body on the beach, demised due to Cape Cod’s big opioid abuse issues.
As the story progresses, Jackie gets better until she spirals down again, worse than ever, and so does the lead investigator of the case, Sergeant Ray Abruzzo. I will refrain from spoilers, but the ending of Season 2 left us on an island, so to speak, with so many unanswered questions eagerly waiting to be answered in Season 3. Will it happen, though?
Will Hightown Season 3 ever happen?
What we know for sure is that Hightown Season 3 will absolutely happen. In fact, production wrapped up months ago. On March 1, 2022, Starz officially renewed the show for a third season, as shared by the Starz Original Programming President, Kathryn Busby:
“‘Hightown’ is such an incredible show, and we could not be happier that it’s been renewed for a third season. We are excited to return to Cape Cod to see our iconic characters battle their past mistakes as well as new foes in the dangerous underworld that lies beneath this idyllic setting.”
Production started about two months later, and although it took a while for the filming to finish, it’s been months now since it was completed. And yet, there’s no word about a potential release date from Starz.
It’s odd, seeing that Hightown isn’t a show that requires a lot of CGI, special effects, or similarly challenging post-production work for it to take so long. Fans guessed it’d arrive in early 2023, but we’re already in March, and still, no sign or word about Hightown Season 3. It’s certain that it won’t arrive in March, either, as the full release schedule was already shared by Starz.
The latest word about when will Hightown Season 3 premiere came from a TVLine report, where it was stated that “the Monica Raymund-led “Cape Cod” drama will return during the back half of 2023.”
Why is Hightown Season 3 taking so long to premiere?
As we mentioned, Hightown doesn’t require that much post-production, the filming finished months ago… So, what’s taking so long for Hightown Season 3 to premiere? Well, the reason behind the delay might not have anything to do with the show itself but rather the streaming platform on which it’s being released.
You see, Starz had a partnership with Lionsgate, but they recently split. The split, unfortunately, resulted in numerous shows getting delayed on the platform.
Now, the issue is resolved, but the hiatus of new shows being released created sort of a clog-up of content that’s now being released slowly. Starz always releases content slowly, meaning they don’t put up more than a few streaming hours of content at a time.
Therefore, it all depends on when they choose to release Hightown Season 3 on their schedule, and as it seems right now, it will more likely be in the second half of 2023 rather than in these early months. Again, these are all assumptions, and we likely won’t know more until Starz gives us an update.
Where to watch Hightown?
Hightown is a Starz original – hence, you can watch it exclusively on the Starz streaming platform, where plans start at $8.99 a month. The first two seasons are available, and we’ll keep you updated about the release date of Hightown Season 3.
It gives you enough time to check out the first two seasons if you haven’t watched them already. Trust me; it’s a far better show than the 6.8/10 IMDb rating suggests.