“Felicity”: Why We Never Got a Season 5, Explained

Do you remember Felicity? The TV show where Keri Russell’s character, Felicity Porter, made one huge decision when she ditched her perfect future at Stanford, followed a high school crush to New York City and changed the trajectory of her life.

All for love. Well, kind of. If you’re wondering why Felicity never got a fifth season, you’re not alone. The show’s unexpected end, the infamous hair drama, and its somewhat ambiguous final moments left fans itching for more.

And while it ended with that iconic “what if” twist, we never saw the story truly continue. Here’s the scoop on why Felicity’s journey wrapped up when it did and what could have been.

The real reason Felicity ended after season 4

After four seasons, Felicity Porter made her final college walk across the graduation stage. But why no season five? Well, the truth is a bit messy. While the WB initially pulled the plug on the show, they later had second thoughts. Keri Russell shared at the ATX Television Festival in 2018 (via Variety):

The network canceled us — kind of. And then they were like, ‘Just kidding,’ do a few more.

But Felicity’s creators, J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves, had already planned her graduation. They weren’t ready to stretch out the show any further. It was time to move on. After all, how many seasons can you spend chronicling a college student’s ups and downs? Four felt right.

And then came the double-ending controversy. The show ended by exploring what would’ve happened if Felicity had chosen Noel (Scott Foley) over Ben (Scott Speedman). Some fans loved it. Others, not so much.

But regardless of the split opinions, the series had reached its natural conclusion. If you’re wondering if there was more story left to tell, well, maybe. But for Felicity, it was time to face the real world, make peace with her choices, and move on.

Keri Russell hinted at potential Felicity reboot if the concept is right

Could a Felicity reboot actually happen? Keri Russell said it’s not totally out of the question. During a press tour for The Diplomat (her latest show), she was asked by E! News if she’d return to the role that made her a star. Her response? Let’s just say it wasn’t a “no.”

Russell’s got a soft spot for her former co-stars, including Scott Speedman and Amanda Foreman. If the right concept came along, Russell’s all in. But what would that even look like? In the quote below, Russell shared a cool reboot idea from Foreman (who played Felicity’s quirky goth roommate, Megan Rotundi, on the show):

Mandy had a good pitch for it ,actually, a really good pitch. You know, like, life wasn’t going great, and, you know, didn’t work out, and she [Felicity] was supposed to be all these things, and then she bumps into someone or, you know, but never say never. Of course.

The co-creator of Felicity, J.J. Abrams, has previously downplayed the idea of revisiting the show in an interview with Entertainment Weekly. The 58-year-old said he’s too busy with Star Wars and Star Trek to revisit the show, but never say never, right?

Maybe one day we’ll see Felicity and her friends back on screen in a way that makes sense for today’s world. For now, fans can only imagine what a Felicity reboot might look like. Will Felicity still be figuring out life in her 30s? What about her complicated love life with Ben or Noel? We’ll just have to wait and see.

Now it’s time to revisit one of TV’s most infamous haircuts

Felicity’s season two hair chop. You know the one. The iconic chop that became one of the most talked-about moments in TV history. In season two, after Felicity broke up with Ben, she made a drastic decision: she cut off her beautiful, signature curly hair.

Fans were NOT happy about it. In fact, the backlash was so intense that some even sent death threats to Keri Russell. Yeah, it was that serious (per TIME). But why did she do it? Well, it was part of the storyline.

Felicity had just broken up with Ben, and in true college-girl fashion, she thought a dramatic haircut would solve everything. It was a moment of self-reinvention. It made sense for the character. But in the real world, changing your appearance doesn’t always solve your problems.

Yet, the fans were not having it. The ratings for Felicity dropped after the haircut, and the network even blamed the hair change for the show’s slump. They thought it was a mistake, and in response, they put an unofficial “no haircut” policy in place for their young stars (as reported by NY Post).

But Keri Russell, ever the free spirit, didn’t care. She knew the haircut was her own decision, not the show’s producers. And she had no regrets about it. The actress who won her first Golden Globe for the show shared in an interview with W Magazine:

I did not expect all the hysteria. I feel like it was so the right move and I’m really glad they did it.

Here’s the thing: while the haircut may have marked a shift in the show’s tone, it became more than just a plot point—it became pop culture history. “Pulling a Felicity” became shorthand for making a drastic change to cope with heartbreak. And that, my friends, is how a haircut entered the history books.

Felicity is available to watch on Disney+!