Is Atypical season 5 happening, despite season 4's endings? Unfortunately for fans, that answer is no. Netflix and the team behind Atypical confirmed that season 4 would be its last. But that's not to say the show couldn't return one day down the line.
Atypical follows Sam (Keir Gilchrist), a teen with autism. The first season deals with Sam's desire to find a girlfriend and his struggles with trying to date on the spectrum. The subsequent seasons follow Sam learning to deal with other life milestones, such as high school graduation. Atypical also explores the intertwining lives of his family and grapples with issues such as his mom Elsa (Jennifer Jason Leigh) cheating on his dad and his sister Casey (Brigette Lundy-Paine) exploring her sexuality.
Atypical season 4 brings all these stories to a close. Sam's parents have finally reconciled after the fallout of Elsa's affair, Sam has become independent and is able to live on his own, and Casey has started a relationship with Izzie. These moments offer the perfect closing point for Atypical while still leaving something open-ended.
Why Atypical Season 5 Isn't Happening
Atypical season 5 isn't happening for a simple reason - the Netflix show was canceled. The streaming platform is notoriously hush-hush when it comes to their reasoning for canceling their original television shows. But the Atypical showrunners were given enough notice from Netflix to wrap up their characters' stories in the ways that they wanted to. It's a bittersweet ending for Atypical. Shows are canceled abruptly so often, meaning that their showrunners typically don't have enough heads up to end the show on their own terms. While the team behind Atypical may not have necessarily wanted to end the show after season 4, having enough warning from Netflix meant that they were able to rework plans in order to give their characters a proper goodbye.
What Atypical Season 5's Story Could've Been About
Atypical season 4 gave all of its characters happy endings. However, those stories could easily be picked back up without undoing the satisfying conclusions to each storyline. By the end of Atypical season 4, Sam is still a young man with his whole life ahead of him. As a person on the spectrum, he'll face plenty of challenges throughout the rest of his life. But specifically, a potential Atypical season 5 could've followed one particular path for two members of the Gardner family. After a bit of soul-searching, Sam's father asks to accompany him on a trip to Antarctica in order to study penguins. Atypical season 5 would likely follow the Gardners as they pursue these next chapters in their lives. But instead, fans will just have to imagine what's next for Sam and his family.