Pose stars take centre stage and fight for their legacy, as FX released the trailer for the final series on Tuesday, which will premiere on May 2.
Season three of the groundbreaking show takes place in 1994 and features seven episodes, with fan favourite characters returning to the screen for the third and final time.
It follows the lives of Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender non-conforming residents of NYC in the drag ball scene — the first network show of its kind.
Countdown: Pose stars take centre stage and fight for their legacy, as FX released the trailer for the final series on Tuesday, which will premiere on May 2
In the forthcoming series, Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista struggles to juggle being a mother, a nurse’s aide in hospital and a partner to her new love, while also reflecting on the monumental progress her family has made.
Elsewhere, HIV-positive Pray Tell has to come to terms with his new health troubles as the AIDS epidemic continues to ravage communities in America, becoming the leading cause of death for those aged between 25 and 44.
Filled with a rainbow of emotion including laughter, love, heartache and tears, the trailer sees the Pose crew reflect on their legacy and the impact of the show they are leaving behind.
‘We are just gonna be ourselves and that’s it,’ says Angel Evangelista, played by Indya Moore.
Conclusion: Season three of the groundbreaking show takes place in 1994 and features seven episodes, with fan favourite characters returning to the screen for the third and final time
Storyline: It follows the lives of Black and Latino LGBTQ and gender non-conforming residents of NYC in the drag ball scene — the first network show of its kind
‘Your life matters,’ Blanca – played by MJ Rodriguez – tells a teary-eyed Pray Tell, portrayed by Emmy award winner Billy Porter, echoing the sentiment that has underpinned every series of the hit FX show.
Blanca motivates the crew, declaring that they ‘rose from the bottom,’ to become stars and to ‘make a statement’.
Moved by Blanca’s words, Pray Tell reflects on ballroom culture and the affect it’s had on his life amid his HIV diagnsosis. ‘I knew this disease was going to eat me alive, but I’m not going out without a fight.’ he said.
Balancing act: In the forthcoming series, Blanca Rodriguez-Evangelista struggles to juggle being a mother, a nurse’s aide in hospital and a partner to her new love, while also reflecting on the monumental progress her family has made
Tragedy: Elsewhere, HIV-positive Pray Tell has to come to terms with his new health troubles as the AIDS epidemic continues to ravage communities in America, becoming the leading cause of death for those aged between 25 and 44
Set against a score of Aretha Franklin’s A Deeper Love, the enlightening trailer gives a sneak peek at scenes from the upcoming series including AIDS activism and spectacular ballroom moments.
The final series will feature Pose staples including Dominique Jackson, Ryan Jamaal Swain, Dyllón Burnside, Angel Bismark Curiel, Hailie Sahar and Sandra Bernhard.
Just last month, co-creator and Executive Producer Steven Canals announced in a video statement: ‘Our new season will be its last,’ calling it a very difficult decision to make.
Steven confirmed the third season will have seven episodes, and will come to an end on June 6. ‘This has been an incredible journey and we have told the story we wanted to tell, the way we wanted to tell it,’ he said.
Moving: Filled with a rainbow of emotion including laughter, love, heartache and tears, the trailer sees the Pose crew reflect on their legacy and the impact of the show they are leaving behind
Authentic: ‘We are just gonna be ourselves and that’s it,’ says Angel Evangelista, played by Indya Moore
He additionally posted a statement on Twitter, prompting it by saying that he and creator Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story) ‘reached the intended ending of [their] story,’ while calling the show a ‘life changing’ experience: ‘THANK YOU is too small a word.’
Sharing a bit about how the show was created initially, Steven said that he was told while completing his MFA in screenwriting: ‘Write the TV show you want to watch.’
‘At the time we weren’t seeing very many Black and Latinx characters — that happened to also be LGBTQ+ — populating screens. And so I wrote the first draft of a pilot the ‘younger me’ deserved,’ he said.
He called it a ‘love letter’ to the underground NYC ballroom community, to New York as a whole, and to his queer and trans family.
Illuminating: Set against a score of Aretha Franklin’s A Deeper Love, the enlightening trailer gives a sneak peek at scenes from the upcoming series including AIDS activism and spectacular ballroom moments
Final season: The NYC based production began filming what would ultimately be its final season on October 12
He said: ‘I, along with my incredible collaborators, never intended on changing the TV landscape. I simply wanted to tell an honest story about family, resilience and love.’
The show’s first season premiered in 2018, and has been nominated for 11 Emmys. Billy snagged a win for his role as Pray Tell in 2019, making him the first openly-gay man to win the lead actor award.
That same year Steven told The Hollywood Reporter that when he pitched the show he envisioned it to be anywhere from four to six seasons, adding: ‘It could be more or less.’
Overall creators Steven, Ryan and Brad Falchuk (Glee, Scream Queens) had discussed that when they felt they had told the story they ‘intended to tell,’ they would know it was time to end it.
Wow: The show has snagged 11 Emmy nominations in total with Billy Porter (centre left) taking home one for his role as Pray Tell in 2019 (pictured with cast and co-creator Steven Canals)
Ryan called the show a ‘passion project’ and said in a statement:
‘Pose has been one of the creative highlights of my entire career…To go from the beginning of my career in the late ’90s when it was nearly impossible to get an LGBTQ character on television to Pose— which will go down in history for having the largest LGBTQ cast of all time — is a truly full circle moment for me.’
The show had filmed the premiere of the third season last spring but was forced to shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. They resumed filming in October and now confirmed a May 2 premiere where they will release the first two episodes at once.
The final season will airs on May 2 on FX
Full circle: Co-creator Ryan Murphy called the show a ‘passion project’ and shared he was incredibly proud to have the ‘largest LGBTQ cast of all time’ after fighting to get representation since the early nineties