Why Netflix Won’t Be Bringing Back Hallmark’s Time-Travel Drama

The Way Home Season 4 is now streaming on Netflix US and is already creeping up the Netflix charts, but if you’ve raced through the final episodes and are already hoping for Season 5, we’ve got some bad news. Hallmark has brought the time-travel drama to a close, and Netflix won’t be stepping in to keep it going. Here’s why the show ended, why a Netflix rescue is unlikely, and what’s next for fans.

If you spent the weekend back in Port Haven, you’re far from alone. The final season of The Way Home hit Netflix US on October 1st, and the Andie MacDowell and Chyler Leigh-led drama has been one of the platform’s most dependable comfort binges since its debut a year ago.

So, will Netflix pick it up for Season 5? Unfortunately, no. Here’s why.

Why The Way Home Won’t Be Back for Season 5

First things first: Netflix had nothing to do with the show’s ending. The decision came from Hallmark, and it was made long before Season 4 hit our screens.

As we reported in January, Hallmark confirmed in November 2025, while Season 4 was still filming, that it would be the show’s last. Samantha DiPippo, Hallmark Media’s SVP of programming, framed it as a planned send-off rather than an abrupt axe:

Season 4 will feature the thrilling twists and turns fans expect and, as the Landry family’s journey comes to a satisfying close, viewers will get the answers they’ve waited for.

In other words, the June 21st series finale, “Ahead by a Century,” was written as an ending rather than cut off on a cliffhanger.

That said, it wasn’t quite the ending the creative team originally had in mind. Mother-daughter showrunners Heather Conkie and Alexandra Clarke told TV Insider that their original plan stretched to five seasons, and Conkie admitted they “had to hurry things up” to land the story in four. The 1920s era introduced in Season 4 is the clearest casualty. Conkie told Variety that the show usually gives each era two seasons, and this one “was cut a little short.”

Hallmark never publicly gave a reason for wrapping up early. With no official explanation, it’s worth remembering that it’s a costly, period-hopping drama in a lineup otherwise built around TV movies and cheaper small-town series.

Picture Credit: Hallmark Channel

Will Netflix Save The Way Home for Season 5?

Not if history is any guide, and there are several good reasons fans shouldn’t hold their breath.

Netflix is just a licensee. The Way Home is a Hallmark Channel commission, produced by Toronto’s Neshama Entertainment. Netflix pays to stream finished seasons in the US only. A fifth season would mean Netflix bankrolling new episodes of a show it doesn’t own, from a network that has just chosen to end it.

Netflix doesn’t hold the rights outside the US. As we’ve covered previously, the show streams on the W Network and StackTV in Canada and elsewhere on local services. A Netflix Original revival typically needs worldwide rights to justify the price tag, and untangling those deals would be a big ask.

Hallmark has its own streamer to feed. Hallmark+ holds the exclusive window while new episodes air. As we noted in March, Hallmark appeared to be using Netflix largely as a way to boost the profile of the show and encourage people to jump to Hallmark+. Handing its signature drama to a rival would undercut that strategy.

Netflix rarely revives shows like this anymore. The streamer’s rescue era (think Lucifer, You, and Manifest) has largely dried up, and Netflix hasn’t revived a high-profile series of this nature in quite some time. Strong US-only viewing for a licensed title rarely changes that calculation.

Even the fans leading the charge seem to know it’s a long shot. A Change.org petition calling on Hallmark, Netflix, or Fox to continue the series cleared its 25,000-signature goal by the night of the finale. Yet the petition itself concedes a Hallmark renewal is “an improbable option.”

As of publication, Netflix has not announced any plans to continue the series, and no reports suggest talks are taking place.

Is There Any Hope Left for the Landrys?

If there’s a sliver of good news, it’s that nobody involved seems to be slamming the door shut.

The finale deliberately ended on an open note, with Kat and Alice taking one last leap into the pond. Clarke told TVLine that the scene was always going to close out the show, and that they wanted to leave it open-ended. Asked by Variety about a possible spinoff, she joked about the cast popping up in the Trevi Fountain for The Way Rome, before adding:

But really, a Landry never gives up hope. We never say never. This is a family. We would all love to come back together again in whatever capacity.

Conkie told the same outlet she has “a million eras” she’d still love to explore. Meanwhile, some fans in the show’s nearly 60,000-member Facebook group have floated follow-up TV movies, the route Hallmark took when it wrapped up Signed, Sealed, Delivered.

Realistically, though, any continuation would almost certainly come from Hallmark rather than Netflix. Hallmark owns the brand, has a library of reunion movies under its belt, and has Hallmark+ to fill. There are no official plans for either a spinoff or a movie right now.

How Long Will The Way Home Stay on Netflix, and Can You Watch It Outside the US?

The good news for US subscribers is that the complete 40-episode series isn’t going anywhere soon. Back in January, we reported that Netflix’s license runs until October 2027 at the absolute earliest. With the final season now added, it’s likely to stick around well beyond that, and we’ll update you if an expiry date surfaces.

International fans aren’t so lucky. The Hallmark deal covers Netflix US only, and no other Netflix region has picked up the show. In Canada, it streams through the W Network and StackTV, while viewers elsewhere will need to check their local providers. Hallmark+ also carries every episode, including the series finale, for those in the US who want to rewatch without waiting on Netflix.

Are you disappointed that The Way Home won’t be getting a Season 5, or did the finale give you the closure you needed? Let us know in the comments below!