[SPOILERS for those not caught up on Longmire season 4 ahead]

-

Only a little over a year ago, Longmire fans were lamenting the show's cancellation and an unresolved season 3 cliffhanger. Then Netflix announced it was acquiring the popular series about a gruff sheriff from Absaroka County, Wyoming, and season 4 premiered on the subscription service September 10.

The good news continues, as Netflix announced it is renewing the modern-day western for season 5. In a statement, the streaming giant defiantly declares that "We've never been one to back down from a fight." As such, viewers will get ten more episodes of the series, matching the previous season's order.

Longmire is a contemporary western drama, based on the ongoing series of books by American author Craig Johnson. A recent widower, Sheriff Walt Longmire (Robert Taylor) navigates his own grief while investigating violent crimes in the Equality State. He's assisted on both fronts by Deputy Victoria 'Vic' Moretti (Katee Sackhoff), his lawyer daughter Cady (Cassidy Freeman), and best friend Henry Standing Bear (Lou Diamond Phillips).

Robert Taylor Lou Diamond Phillips Katee Sackhoff and Adam Bartley in Longmire Season 4 Episode 1

The season 4 action brought about huge changes for the cast of characters. Walt struggled to get over the guilt and confusion over Deputy Branch's (Bailey Chase) murder at the hands of his own father, Barlow (Gerald McRaney). Henry got emotionally invested in Gab (Julia Jones), a girl on the reservation raped by two oil rig workers who are obsessively protected by their boss, Walker Browning (Callum Keith Rennie.). Cady, meanwhile, found herself simultaneously working for the enemy and the greater good by taking a lawyer job on the reservation, funded by Jacob Nighthorse (A. Martinez).

The finale left viewers with the image of Henry being driven off in handcuffs by tribal police officer Mathias (Zahn McClarnon), while Walt's love fest at home with new girlfriend Donna (Ally Walker) gets unceremoniously interrupted by someone crashing through the front door. Longmire wasn't afraid to go to dark places with the resolution of last season's cliffhanger, but it's likely Henry's imminent danger will resolve less violently than Walt's. The sheriff has built up a lot of enemies, and Dr. Donna serves a long roster of mentally disturbed patients, so there's no telling who the intruder might turn out to be.

No word yet on when season 5 of Longmire will be released. All four seasons are available for binge-watching on Netflix.

Source: Netflix