Parents across the world sobbed into their pavlova on Sunday, April 14 as they watched the 28-minute supersized season finale of “Bluey” with their families. This animated children’s show that has delighted adults as much as — or even more than — children.
The extra-long Season 3 finale episode is quite a departure from the seven-minute episodes viewers have been used to, and it also included a chase, a wedding, a move and a baby. Could it possibly mean that the show is — gulp — ending? For real life?
Why is “Bluey” such a big deal?
The Australian TV show “Bluey” began a slow roll into Americans’ hearts in 2019. Competing with action-packed animated shows like “Paw Patrol” and “PJ Masks,” the show seemed to be an outlier. There were no car chases or villains. Some episodes occur in a single setting. It didn’t rely on gendered stereotypes. In fact, many viewers didn’t know whether Bluey and younger sibling Bingo were girls or boys. (They’re both girls, by the way.)
Instead, “Bluey” focused on everyday (and often mundane) family moments brought to life through imagination and creativity.
An ordinary balloon suddenly became a long-lasting game of “Keepy Uppy.” A single piece of asparagus became a magic wand. A tree stump became a helicopter.
The show teaches parents how to “play” with their children. At a time when parenthood seems to be filled with scripts and if/then scenarios for consequences, “Bluey” shows parents how to play open-ended games with their children that build on everyday events.
Bluey’s mum and dad, Chilli and Bandit, are not perfect.
Chilli seems to have sensory overload and needs time and space to reset. Bandit can be a bit obtuse and short-tempered. (For reference, check out the genius “Flat Pack” episode in which Chilli and Bandit argue their way through assembling IKEA-style furniture, or “Burger Shop,” which seemingly deals with Bandit’s inability to get the kids out of the tub using techniques.)
But they’re always trying their best, and that’s the point.
A-list actors like Joel Edgerton, Natalie Portman, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Rose Byrne and Eva Mendes have voiced cameos on the show. As a character, Bluey has toys, plushes, books, bedding and collaborations with Home Chef and Hanna Andersson. Bluey even made her debut as a giant helium balloon in the .
Why would a beloved show reach its conclusion at the height of its popularity? While the supersized April 14 episode, “The Sign,” may not mean the end of the Heeler family’s journey, it certainly felt like an ending of sorts.
Is “Bluey” ending after “The Sign” season finale?
According to the , “Bluey” executive producer Daley Pearson said the special was a trial run to see how viewers like the longer length.
“It’s the most beautiful episode we’ve made,” said Pearson.
talked to the voice actors who portray Bluey’s mum and dad for more insight.
Melanie Zanetti, who plays Chilli, said that the season finale is “an emotional rollercoaster.” Meanwhile, Dave McCormack who voices Bandit, said, “I was surprised at how stressful it is.”
About the future of the series, Zanetti said, “For all we know, it is just a season finale. No one tells us anything, but that’s what we’ve been told so far, it’s just the season finale.”
The episode had a lovely thru-line about the cliché parent response, “We’ll see.”
As TODAY’s own have explained, “We’ll see,” usually means a big fat “NO” in parent language. But in the world of Bluey, “We’ll see” is much more nuanced.
Nervous that her family might move, Bluey tells her teacher, Calypso, about her concerns. Calypso then reads the class a story about a farmer who experiences a lot of life’s ups and downs. After each one, people ask him, “Is this a good thing or a bad thing.” The farmer simply responds, “We’ll see.”
“Is that it? What happens next?” asks Bluey’s classmates. (Coincidentally, these are the same questions parents are asking about the fate of the show.) Meanwhile, Bluey wants to know if “We’ll see” is a happy ending or a sad ending.
Wisely, Calypso says, “Everything will work out the way it’s supposed to, Bluey.”
Is there going to be a “Bluey” Season 4?
According to , “Bluey” writers were always planning to take a break after the third season. But so far, all signs have pointed to an eventual return.
“Bluey” producer Sam Moor told , “No, it is not the end for ‘Bluey.’ I’m sure we have many more surprises in store for you.” A show spokesperson “double confirmed” to the that they have “no plans to end the show.”
Wackadoo! That was a nail-biter. But when and how the show will reappear is still unclear.
Creator Joe Brumm has been very protective of the show’s content, especially since much of it is based on his family’s experiences. (He has two daughters, and growing up, his family owned a blue heeler dog named Bluey!)
He told that storylines are usually “related to something I’ve learned having kids, or my wife has experienced or just something I notice that my kids keep doing. An episode really wouldn’t start until I’d found a bit of truth like that. I wouldn’t necessarily understand it and often the episode is an exploration of that.”
Now that Brumm’s kids and the young voice actors playing Bluey and Bingo are a bit older, will the characters grow up, too?
“We get a lot of requests to age the characters up,” Brumm told Deadline. “It would completely change the show, but there would be something really sweet about bringing through the new younger characters and having Bluey and Bingo at that babysitting age. That would definitely make a bunch of fans very happy.”
This article was originally published on
This article originally appeared on www.aol.com: www.aol.com https://www.aol.com/bluey-ending-shows-creator-said-234333218.html