‘Tell Me Lies’ is over: Creator confirms series ending hours before finale

Tell Me Lies is officially over. Fans only just found out.

Creator and showrunner Meaghan Oppenheimer confirmed on Monday that season three would be the show’s final chapter, just hours before the finale dropped on Hulu.

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“After three amazing seasons of Tell Me Lies, tonight’s episode will be the series finale,” she wrote on Instagram.

The finale premiered Tuesday, February 17 at 12 a.m. ET.

For many viewers, the timing of the announcement came as a surprise.

This was “always the ending”

Oppenheimer insisted the conclusion had long been planned.

“This was always the ending my writing team and I had in mind, and we are insanely proud of it,” she wrote.

She revealed that strong audience response prompted conversations about whether there was “another organic way” to continue the story. Ultimately, the team decided the series had reached its “natural conclusion”.

She added that delivering “a complete story with an intentional ending” was a rare privilege in television.

A toxic love story that divided viewers

Based on Tell Me Lies by Carola Lovering, the series follows Lucy Albright and Stephen DeMarco, played by real-life couple Grace Van Patten and Jackson White, as their relationship spirals through manipulation, obsession and emotional fallout.

Set at the fictional Baird College in the mid-2000s, the Hulu drama became known for its psychological intensity and morally fraught dynamics.

White previously described Stephen as a “super villain”, a label many fans echoed as the show’s darker turns unfolded.

The ensemble cast also includes Spencer House, Sonia Mena, Catherine Missal, Alicia Crowder, Branden Cook, Costa D’Angelo and Tom Ellis.

Oppenheimer closed her message by thanking fans and teasing future projects.

“Thank you for loving our show. We are excited to bring you more stories in the near future.”

For now, the final episode is streaming, closing the Lucy and Stephen saga for good.

What to watch if you’re not ready to let go

If the finale has left a void, several series explore similarly complicated relationships, emotional manipulation and messy coming-of-age dynamics.

Normal People follows an on-and-off relationship shaped by miscommunication, insecurity and shifting power. Like Tell Me Lies, it captures how formative love can echo long after university ends.

Euphoria leans into heightened emotional stakes and morally ambiguous young characters navigating obsession, addiction and identity. It is darker in tone but carries a similar intensity.

Conversations with Friends explores blurred boundaries, secrecy and romantic power imbalances among young adults struggling with desire and betrayal.

The Summer I Turned Pretty offers a softer alternative, centring on complicated love triangles and emotional missteps with a more nostalgic feel.

You takes manipulation to its most extreme conclusion, examining charm, control and the darker psychology beneath romance.

For fans of emotionally messy storytelling, the post-Tell Me Lies era may not feel quite so empty after all.