'The Affair' season 5: Release date, plot, cast, and everything you need to know about the Showtime drama's final run

Season 5 of 'The Affair' will reportedly be set two or three decades later, with Alison and Cole's daughter Joanie returning to Montauk as an adult
PUBLISHED JUN 5, 2019

Showtime has finally announced the premiere date for the fifth and last season of 'The Affair'. Taking a major leap forward, the final season will show the main characters' daughter Joanie as an adult and will focus on her returning to Montauk, which is facing the adverse impacts of climate change. But her journey — documented in an 11-episode sendoff — will be about unfurling the truths behind whatever happened to her late mother, Connie.

Release date

The final season of 'The Affair' premieres on Sunday, August 25 at 9/8c, only on Showtime.

Dominic West (L) as Noah and Mara Tierney (R) as Helen in The Affair. (Showtime)

Plot

Season 5 of 'The Affair' will reportedly be set two or three decades later, with Alison and Cole's daughter Joanie returning to Montauk as an adult to figure out the secrets behind her mother's death. Bringing the unique narrative of the show to a full circle, the characters are said to be "coming to terms with the consequences of their choices, as they make the realization that if they really want to change their futures, they must first face the past. This final season is about how everything does really fall apart in the end, but somewhere in that wreckage, the seeds of change finally sprout."

Creator

The drama series was created by Sarah Treem and Hagai Levi. Treem is a TV writer-producer and playwright, who was also a writer and co-executive producer on the inaugural season of 'House of Cards'. Levi, however, later retired from writing the series, on the accounts of the show taking a path quite different than what he had envisioned, and adding that Treem was, therefore "the best person" to author the show.

Cast

Anna Paquin

Anna Paquin of the television show 'Flack' speaks during the CBS segment of the 2019 Winter Television Critics Association Press Tour at The Langham Huntington, Pasadena on January 30, 2019, in Pasadena, California. (Getty Images)

Everyone's favorite vet from 'True Blood', Paquin, will be hopping onboard to play the role of Joanie in the final season of the show. The actress became the second-youngest winner in Oscar history for her performance in 'The Piano' (1993) at the age of 11. She also landed the lead role in the UK TV drama 'Flack' earlier this year, where she played the role of an American PR executive living in London, trying to save every star's world from blowing up in smoke.

Dominic West

Dominic West visits Build at Build Studio on April 08, 2019 in New York City. (Getty Images)

The English actor, director, and musician. He is best known for playing Jimmy McNulty in 'The Wire' (2002–2008). He plays the role of Noah Solloway in 'The Affair' — his performance earning him a Golden Globe nomination too. Joanie's mom Alison had an affair with Noah in the past — something that kick starts the narrative of the show in its initial seasons.

Maura Tierney

Maura Tierney attends the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences' 10th annual Governors Awards at The Ray Dolby Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland Center on November 18, 2018, in Hollywood, California. (Getty Images)

Known for her roles as Lisa Miller on the sitcom NewsRadio and Abby Lockhart on the medical drama 'ER', Tierney returns in the final season as Helen Solloway — Noah's wife — and reportedly "begins the season involved in an intoxicating new affair with Sasha Mann (Bron/Broen‘s Claes Bang), a charismatic movie star who offers to give her everything she's been missing."

Joining West, Tierney and Paquin, Julia Goldani Telles and Jadon Sand as Noah and Helen’s children, Whitney and Trevor, and Sanaa Lathan as Janelle in season 5. Guest stars include Academy Award nominee Jennifer Jason Leigh and Lyriq Bent as adult Joanie’s sports agent husband/father of their two daughters. Russell Hornsby will return as Carl Gatewood.

Trailer

Unfortunately, no trailer has been released for the final season yet. Watch this space for more updates!

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