It's been an emotional couple of weeks for Bluey fans (as if every episode wasn't a roller coaster that made you look inward and do a little soul-searching). But these two most recent episodes of the hit show — "The Sign" and "Surprise" — really hit hard.
First came "The Sign," a 28-minute special about Heeler family's decision to sell their Brisbane home. That was promptly followed by a surprise episode aptly titled "Surprise," which featured a glimpse into the future of Bluey all grown up with a kid of her own.
If you came away from these two episodes thinking it was the end for the Bluey series, you weren't alone. It definitely had a "series finale" feel to them.
Is Bluey returning for Season 4?
Thankfully, this isn't the last that we've seen of the Heeler family. Bluey producer Sam Moor confirmed to BBC that this is not the end of Bluey.
""No, it is not the end for Bluey. I'm sure we have many more surprises in store for you. We have more in store and we are thinking what would be next.""\
Although Moor confirmed that there will be more Bluey stories to be told, that's not necessarily confirmation it will be done so through a proper fourth season.
Prior to "The Sign" airing, the show's executive producer Daley Pearson hinted of a potential movie.
“We would love to do a Bluey movie,” Pearson told ABC Brisbane, acknowledging that "The Sign" served as sort of a test run for how audiences would react to a longer feature.
If the audience reaction to "The Sign" was any indication, we could be getting a full-blown Bluey film in the future. The 28-minute special was met with rave reviews from critics and fans alike. Even my kids -- ages six and three -- have sat through the special multiple times.
Of course, a full-length film is a bit of a different experience. You're adding about another hour to the experience, which can be quite a jump for kids used to bite-sized episodes.
Part of the charm of Bluey is that these impactful, emotionally resonant episodes are told in 7-minute stories.
Bluey is going on hiatus
While the producers of the series have already confirmed plans to continue telling Bluey stories in some way, shape, and form, they did announce that the series will be going on a hiatus. The show's creators have been pedal to the metal these past few years, pumping out over 150 episodes. Now it's time for a well-deserved break.
“We are just going to get our heads on a bit, it’s been four or five years and we’ve made 154 episodes, it is kind of unprecedented to do that back-to-back,” Bluey executive producer Daley Pearson told Australia’s Courier Mail. “It was very intense. We are just coming to the end of season three and trying to think about what’s the best way to make it better.”
Bluey is already one of the top-rated shows on television. Do you think they should continue with a fourth season or explore some other storytelling avenues, such as a movie?
The Walt Disney Company does not own Bluey, however, they do own the international broadcasting rights. As a result, the series is featured prominently on Disney+ in many international markets, including the United States. It's one of my kids' favorite shows on the streaming service.