'Unforgotten' on PBS: Will There Be Another Season and Is Nicola Walker Leaving?

Unforgotten is the critically acclaimed British crime drama series starring Nicola Walker and Sanjeev Bhaskar. The fourth series concluded tonight on PBS and there is a lot to unpack from the gripping finale, including the fate of DCI Cassie Stuart (played by Nicola Walker).

Will there be another season of Unforgotten and is Nicola Walker leaving? Newsweek has everything you need to know.

Will There Be Another Season of 'Unforgotten'?

There is good news for fans of Unforgotten.

Shortly after the fourth season finale aired on ITV in the U.K., the network confirmed Unforgotten would return for season five.

Creator Chris Lang revealed in July 2020 he was working on scripts for the fifth series, posting a picture of himself working on a script in his Soho office in London.

At the moment, Unforgotten doesn't have a release date, and judging by the show's previous release patterns, fans may have to wait a while longer for season five to drop.

The first three seasons saw a two-year gap between them, with a three-year break put in place between seasons three and four.

Hopefully, season five follows the two-year rule, which means a Winter 2023 release date could be on the cards for the U.K.

With that being said, the official Unforgotten Twitter account teased that the show would be back "next year" shortly after the series finale aired in the U.K.

The tweet read: "Thanks for all the love during and after last night's series 4 finale. #Unforgotten will return, with @TVSanjeev and a new partner in crime next year. @ChrisLangWriter."

Fans of Unforgotten in the U.S. will, unfortunately, have to wait for a little longer for the series to land on PBS. Season four arrived on PBS in June, two months after the series wrapped up in the U.K., so expect season five on Unforgotten to follow suit.

Is Nicola Walker Leaving 'Unforgotten'?

Sadly, Nicola Walker is leaving Unforgotten.

Her character reluctantly returned to the job to help Sunny investigate a murder that occurred 30 years ago after they came across a headless and handless body in a North London scrapyard.

In the penultimate episode, Cassie was involved in a serious car crash that put her career and life on the line. Sadly, she died in the season four finale.

Whilst many fans hoped her character would survive the car crash, ITV has confirmed Walker wouldn't be returning for a fifth series.

Announcing the show's fifth season, ITV addressed Nicola Walker's exit from the show. The statement read: "ITV would like to thank Nicola Walker for playing the brilliant role of Cassie Stuart in four series of Unforgotten, which has become one of the best-loved and most critically acclaimed police dramas on TV.

"Nicola and writer Chris Lang decided that Cassie's story would come to an end last night, but that Unforgotten would continue, in series five, with a new case, and a new 'Partner in Crime' for DI Sunny Khan."

Writer Chris Lang tweeted: "It has been an uncomplicated joy making 4 seasons of #Unforgotten with #NicolaWalker.

"We can be sad that we've lost someone we adored & who we will miss every day, but we also be grateful for the time we did have together. More news on #Unforgotten to follow shortly."

Nicola Walker tweeted: "Over & Out for Cassie...#unforgotten."

Sanjeev Bhaskar, who co-starred alongside Walker tweeted: "Delighted @ITV has recommissioned @UnforgottenTV & more of @ChrisLangWriter's fab writing. I'll continue to watch & learn from #NicolaWalker as I've done these past 5 years, glowing with pride as my friend excels in everything she does. She's a personal & national treasure."

A new DCI will be joining Sunny for his next investigation, but at the moment there is no word on who that may be.

In the fifth series, fans can expect to see Goodness Gracious Me actor Sanjeev Bhaskar as DI Sunil 'Sunny' Khan alongside Lewis Reeves as DC Jake Collier and Peter Egan as Martin Hughes.

Other regular cast members who fans are likely to see in season five include Jassa Ahluwalia as Adam Stuart and Colin R. Campbell as DSI Clive Andrews, DCI Stuart's boss.

Unforgotten is streaming on the PBS app now.