Motherland fans left 'fuming' by 'heartbreaking' update from Netflix - ranting 'why were we misled?!'

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Motherland fans have been left up in arms after a 'heartbreaking' update from Netflix - hitting out that they had been 'misled' by the streamer.  

Fans of the BBC sitcom, which came to an end in 2022, were excited to tune in to watch the show once again after the streaming giant revealed that episodes were due to be uploaded. 

The series, which starred Anna Maxwell-Martin, Lucy Punch, Dianne Morgan and Joanna Lumley, explored the trials and triumphs of middle-class motherhood. 

And while its three seasons are all available to stream on BBC iPlayer, fans were expecting a fourth and final season to land last week on the streaming service. 

Viewers had become convinced more episodes were in store after the streaming service debuted a banner on its site highlighting that a 'new season' had been added. 

However, the 'new season' turned out to be the 30-minute Christmas special episode which aired in 2022, and wrapped up the story of the three previous seasons. 

Motherland fans have been left up in arms after a 'heartbreaking' update from Netflix - hitting out that they had been 'misled' by its upload to the site

The 'new season' turned out to be the 30-minute Christmas special episode which aired in 2022, and wrapped up the story of the three previous seasons

While series one and two featured six episodes, the third season featured just five episodes and was later followed up by a special sixth episode. 

Taking to X, formerly Twitter, fans shared their outrage of being left 'misled' and disappointed not to be tuning in for another instalment. 

'Netflix saying they were adding a new season of Motherland and it’s literally just the 2022 Christmas special...' one penned.

A second chimed in: 'Why was I misled by Netflix into thinking there was gonna be a fourth season of Motherland?' as a third agreed: 'There is no Season 4 of Motherland. Netflix lied.'

While a fourth chimed in: 'Season 4?!! Netflix appears to have crashed… maybe with the sheer numbers of people clicking to see if this is real, or if they’ve just got the Christmas special in the last series Motherland.'

Another complained on video site TikTok: 'I was so excited. I even set a reminder in my phone. Found it weird there was no advertising, so Googled it and said it was the Christmas special. I was fuming.'

Others took to forum site Reddit, with a viewer writing: 'Classifying a one-off Christmas special as a 4th season is diabolical!'

As another added: 'I didn’t realise it was only a Christmas special and got all settled in for a bit of binging! Gutted it was only one!'

While series one and two featured six episodes, the third season featured just five episodes and was later followed up by the special sixth episode, a Christmas special, starring Dianne Morgan (pictured)

Spin off series Amandaland, starring Joanna Lumley (right) hit screens in February, with a second series confirmed in October, and a Christmas special currently in the works

Fans of the series took to X to complain they had been 'misled' by Netflix

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The streaming site still has a banner over the series title showing a 'new season' is available, and four seasons listed despite it not being a full-length run of episodes. 

It comes as show star Sharon Horgan teased a 'new season' of Motherland last Christmas, after it was announced that a spin-off focused on Lucy's character, the pretentious - and newly-divorced - Amanda, was in the works, with Joanna and Philippa Dunne also starring. 

Writer Sharon gave an insight into what it was like working with legendary actress Joanna, 79, and hinted that fans of the series could see it return after all. 

Speaking to Jessie and Lennie Ware on the Table Manners podcast, she explained: 'Joanna is the best. She's just so, so beautiful. 

'She plays Amanda's mum — so it’s her, Amanda and Anne and then this whole new cast. I’m so excited for people to see it.' 

Adding of Motherland, Sharon continued: 'I’m not in the season, but maybe if we do another season because it’s so much fun. We’ve jumped on a few years so now it’s [about having] teenagers.' 

In February 2024, Diane, 50, one of the shows leading women who plays single mother Liz, revealed that the critically-acclaimed and hugely popular comedy would not return. 

The actress told RadioTimes: 'I hate to say it because I still get women running up to me with prams in the street asking me when it’s coming back.'

Spin off series Amandaland hit screens in February, with a second series confirmed in October, and a Christmas special currently in the works. 

Motherland is available to stream on both Netflix and BBC iPlayer.