Rejoice, Fringe fans! The low-rated but much-loved sci-fi series has been given a fifth and final season by FOX. Keep reading for the details.

As announced on April 26, FOX will renew Fringe for a season 5 consisting of 13 episodes. The show will end for good after that. Considering that this brings Fringe‘s episode total to exactly 100 episodes (the traditional number needed for syndication), the 13 episode order makes perfect sense.

Kevin Reilly, the President of Entertainment at FOX, stated:

Fringe is a remarkably creative series that has set the bar as one of television’s most imaginative dramas. Bringing it back for a final 13 allows us to provide the climactic conclusion that its passionate and loyal fans deserve. The amazing work the producers, writers and the incredibly talented cast and crew have delivered in the last four seasons has literally been out of this world. Although the end is bittersweet, it’s going to be a very exciting chapter.”

Fringe‘s executive producers made statements as well. J.J. Abrams said, “We are thrilled and beyond grateful that FOX — and our fans — have made the impossible possible: Fringe will continue into a fifth season that will allow the series to conclude in a wild and thrilling way.”

Showrunners Jeff Pinkner and J.H. Wyman added, “On behalf of the cast and crew, we applaud our fans and FOX for allowing us to imagine the impossibilities together for so long.”

Because this is Fringe, there’s also a video. Yes, already. And it’s awesome:

This 13-episode Fringe season 5 order comes as excellent news to fans who were concerned about the show’s ability to wrap up storylines in the remaining three episodes of Fringe season 4. Adding to that stress, last week’s “Letters of Transit” introduced a compelling future world — full of unresolved plots — that needs to be revisited. Hopefully, Fringe season 5 will do so.

Despite incredible levels of fan support, the fate of Fringe has long been in question. FOX revealed in the past year that the network was actually losing money on the show, necessitating long negotiations to make another season workable.

That should have been impossible. But this is Fringe. Impossible is what this show does.

Are you happy to hear about Fringe season 5? Do you think Fringe can successfully wrap up its storylines by the end? What do you still want to see from the show? Leave your comments below!

(Image courtesy of FOX)

Laurel Brown

Senior Writer, BuddyTV

Laurel grew up in Mamaroneck, NY, Grosse Pointe, MI and Bellevue WA. She then went on to live in places like Boston, Tucson, Houston, Wales, Tanzania, Prince Edward Island and New York City before heading back to Seattle. Ever since early childhood, when she became addicted to The Muppet Show, Laurel has watched far too much TV. Current favorites include ChuckModern FamilySupernaturalMad Men and Community. Laurel received a BA in Astrophysics (yes, that is possible) from Colgate University and a PhD in Middle Eastern Studies and History of Science from Columbia University before she realized that television is much better than studying.