The reality television series “The Last Alaskans” has made a good run with the fourth season nearing completion. There has been speculation about whether or not it will be renewed for a fifth season. There’s been no confirmation one way or another as of yet. Here is what we know about the show so far.
Why we think it will be back
It looked like the show would end when Bob Harte passed away last year. It was later discovered that he had been battling cancer prior to his death. It took a while to find out, but the show is set to premiere on the 25th of November, 2018. The show, so far, has survived a big loss but is returning for yet another season this fall. If it can survive this there is something special about the show that would make them bring it back for a fourth season. Harte had a big following of fans, but the execs saw some potential in the series despite this major setback. If everything goes well this year with ratings, it just might make it for another year.
There is time to make the transition
The crew was actually in the process of shooting the fourth season at the time of Harte’s death. It has been confirmed that the segments he was a part of will be shown in the first episodes. The inclusion of Bob’s contributions could certainly help in making the transition of moving on to new aspects of the show without him. His fight with the deadly disease is going to be one of the features of the season and his sudden death is likely to have shaken everyone who knew and loved him. The loss of a major player in the show is huge, and this may in part be why the premiere of the fourth season has been delayed until nearly the end of the year. Bob’s fans are likely to tune in to say their final goodbyes and viewership is projected to be high for these episodes.
What about the chemistry of the cast?
There is little doubt that the change will bring about some challenges. The writers face the challenge of creating a new reality for “The Last Alaskans.” It makes sense that the loss of one would tie in with the harshness of the land and add a greater sense of realism to the show. There are several directions that they could take the crew at this point.
Carrying on the legacy
We know that there are plans for Charlie Jagow to carry on along the same path Bob had taken. Bob had taken the time to prepare maps and a guide that he left behind to help to get the traplines back in order for the family.
A new generation of Alaskans
There will be a focus on Heimo and Edna Korth this season as their daughter Krin and her family endure the winter at their home on the refuge. Krin, Scott, and Colby are another generation to brave the frontier and there will no doubt be some interesting stories generate by their survival efforts.
The Selden’s will be bringing their little one Sidney to the show as they move forward to transform their homestead into a sustainable source to generate income and the resources they need to be more self-contained. This opens the door for the ending of some stories, the continuation of others and some new directions for the writers to take the show. There is a lot of potential for further development and the closing of one chapter does not necessarily mean that the show is over, it just means that it is going to be different. Along with death there is rebirth and isn’t this what life is all about?
Proceeding with limitations
There are a few limits on what writers will be able to do with the show. The majority of the cast members are those returning from last season and there are no new occupations allowed don the refuge so it’s possible that there will be other members of the community joining the show, but we haven’t had any confirmation of this yet. Since the show is about the “Last Alaskans” there is somewhat of a reinforcement of the fact that they are limited in numbers and we’ll see what new aspects of the remaining crew will be highlighter for the upcoming season that is a critical trying ground for the show’s ability to weather tough times and make it for the fifth season.
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