Will Top Boy get a spin-off after season 5? Here's what we know
Whether you watched Top Boy when it first dropped on Channel 4 in 2011 or its transition to Netflix in 2019 was what made you a fan, there's no denying that the drama series is nail-bitingly binge-worthy. The bad news is, Top Boy season five - which is now streaming on Netflix - is confirmed to be the show's last. But will there be a Top Boy spin-off of season six?
Set on the fictional Summerhouse estate in Hackney, London, the show tells the story of rival drug-dealing gangs fighting to get to the top, with two big-time drug dealers, Dushane (Ashley Walters) and Sully (Kano), eventually becoming the 'top boys.'
After an incredibly tense five seasons (or three as Netflix branded it, after they took over production from Channel 4), the cult show has come to an end, with the final episodes dropping on Netflix on 7th September.
For the final season, Netflix's official synopsis says: "Sully's actions at the end of the last series have rewritten his business rules with Dushane. As new shared problems arise, everything they've built comes under threat from forces outside and within their empire."
However, while it's been confirmed that this will be the final season of Top Boy, we're here to question whether the show will get its own spin-off, or if this is really the end for Summerhouse, Dushane, Sully and co...
What have Top Boy cast members said about a spin-off?
Unfortunately, Ashley Walters confirmed that season five will be the last. Both in terms of the show and playing the ruthless yet sensitive drug dealer Dushane. Speaking to GQ in an interview earlier this month, he admitted that - even though he thought Top Boy had run its course - Netflix "wanted it to go on forever."
"Kane [Robinson, who plays Sully] and I were like, personally, we can’t. We don’t think it’s the right thing to do. It may have gone on too long anyway," he said.
"Not that it’s not been great and the seasons have all been great and everyone’s loved them and I’ve loved them," he continued, "but it wouldn’t have been right. I like to end on a high."
Co-director William Stefan Smith also said something similar of the show's ending to the Royal Television Society last month."It’s the British way. Historically, British shows end early. We don’t push them into six or seven seasons," he added.
Jasmine Jobson, who plays female gang member Jaq agreed during the same interview that calling it a day was the right thing to do. "It’s especially apt because of the subject matter. We’re showing the public that there’s only so far you can go. You can end up in prison, you can end up dead, but every top boy has to come to a stop at some point," she said.
"You don’t see 60 or 70-year-old top boys, unless it’s the mafia. So I feel like we’re doing the right thing."
Why is Top Boy ending?
While an exact reason as to why the hit show is ending hasn't been offered by its creators, the sentiments from Walters, Smith and Jobson paint a pretty obvious picture. And with Netflix being the only party who wants to carry on, it's even unlikelier that fans can expect any sort of spin-off in the future.
Speaking at Netflix's global fan event, Tudum, Walters said: "With something as great as this, you should end on a high, and that’s what we’re doing. We’re all battling on a daily basis to make sure that we give our audience and the fans of the show the most amazing ending that we can."
What could a Top Boy spin-off be about?
While the actors who play Sully and Dushane have bowed out of any season six or spin-off plans, that's not to say there isn't opportunity for other characters to take centre stage. Could we see one of the younger gang members like Stefan taking centre stage? Or how about a story set in the same world as Summerhouse estate, but not about drug violence at all?
We're sad to say goodbye to these characters, so fingers crossed there might be something in the pipeline.
Top Boy season five is available to stream on Netflix now
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