'Tell Me Lies' Ends After Season 3 Finale, Showrunner Says Series Reached Its Natural Conclusion

Showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed in a social media post that the Season 3 finale of tell me lies will also serve as the series finale. The announcement came ahead of the episode airing Monday, Feb. 16 (ET), closing out a three-season run that followed the destructive relationship between Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco and the fallout that embroiled their college circle.

Why the creators chose to stop at three seasons

Oppenheimer said the ending was always the plan for the creative team and that they are proud of the way the story concludes. She explained that while the show’s renewed popularity tempted exploration of further seasons, the writing staff examined whether another installment could exist without undermining what had already been built. In her view, the characters’ trajectories — with key figures moving beyond college and dispersing into different lives and industries — meant the series’ original framing device had run its course.

"My main goal has always been to protect the quality of the show and give you the best experience I can give you, " she wrote, adding that the team briefly considered whether there was an organic way to continue but ultimately concluded the narrative had reached its natural conclusion. Oppenheimer noted the difficulty of walking away from a project that has resonated with so many viewers, but said it felt worse to risk diluting the series with a direction that wouldn’t feel true to the story or the characters.

Cast, characters and the search for closure

At the heart of the series is the volatile, on-again/off-again relationship between Lucy (Grace Van Patten) and Stephen (Jackson White), a dynamic that pulls friends Bree, Pippa, Diana, Wrigley and Evan into repeated cycles of manipulation, secrecy and fallout. The third season expanded that world and introduced new complications, but the creative team felt Season 3 offered a complete arc — a beginning, middle and end — for the principal players.

Van Patten described the decision to end the show as bittersweet, noting the rare privilege of being able to tell a finite story with intention. Cast members who have inhabited these roles for years were reportedly aligned with the ending, which gave Oppenheimer additional confidence in closing the book while the series remained artistically strong. That alignment is central to what the showrunner framed as a responsible creative choice: to preserve character integrity rather than prolong the story into unfamiliar territory.

What this means for fans and the creative team

For viewers, the finale offers final answers and the kind of closure that serialized television rarely gets to guarantee. The show’s passionate audience can expect the Season 3 conclusion to resolve major threads while staying true to the series’ dark, emotionally honest tone. The team behind tell me lies emphasized gratitude for the audience and said that the positive response to the most recent season prompted them to explore possibilities before committing to an end.

Looking ahead, Oppenheimer indicated she and her collaborators are excited to bring new stories forward. While this particular chapter has a defined ending, the decision to stop now leaves the series intact as a three-season body of work that concludes on its own terms. Fans will have the finale as a capstone — and the creative team the freedom to pursue fresh projects next.

The Season 3 finale aired Monday, Feb. 16 (ET) and will stand as the series’ final episode.