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Anne with an E, the CBC/Netflix TV adaptation of Anne of Green Gables, cancelled after three seasons

Creator/showrunner Moira Walley-Beckett says in an Instagram post that they've "reached the end of the red Green Gables road" after three seasons.
Character from Anne with an E.
Amybeth McNulty as Anne Shirley in Anne With An E. The CBC/Netflix show will be cancelled following its third season, creator Moira Walley-Beckett announced on Monday. (CBC)

Anne with an E, the TV show inspired by Lucy Maud Montgomery's classic novel Anne of Green Gables, is ending after the third season.

The show follows an irrepressible, red-headed orphan named Anne whose undying optimism and love of nature charms her foster parents, siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert.

Anne with an E premiered in March 2017.

Irish-Canadian actress Amybeth McNulty starred as Anne and the Cuthberts were played by R.H. Thomson and Geraldine James.

The series was shot in P.E.I. and Ontario. It was a co-production between CBC and Netflix.

Over the course of the three seasons, the series executive producers Moira Walley-Beckett and Miranda de Pencier have expanded Anne's story beyond Montgomery's original novel, and added diverse new characters and storylines.

The third season featured an independent, resilient Mi'kmaq girl named Ka'kwet. Played by Kiawenti:io Tarbell, a Mohawk actor from Akwesasne, she befriends Anne Shirley-Cuthbert, and pulls us into a dark side of Canada's history.

"There's no sense in reinventing a classic novel if you're not going to make it relevant for today's audience," de Pencier said in an interview in February.

"So it was really important for us to find themes that matter for Canadians."

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Walley-Beckett announced the end of the show on Instagram, saying in an Instagram post that they've "reached the end of the red Green Gables road" after three seasons.

"My heart is heavy, but I am so proud of this show," Vancouver-raised Walley-Beckett said in the post.

"I am grateful and humbled by this experience, and I truly feel blessed to have had the opportunity to share this beautiful, meaningful story with all of you, my kindred spirits. I know you have loved this series as much as I have, and I thank you for that forever and a day."

"We've been thrilled to bring the quintessentially Canadian story of Anne with an E to viewers around the world," CBC and Netflix said in a join statement to the press. "We're thankful to producers Moira Walley-Beckett and Miranda de Pencier and to the talented cast and crew for their incredible work in sharing Anne's story with a new generation. We hope fans of the show love this final season as much as we do, and that it brings a satisfying conclusion to Anne's journey."  

At the Canadian Screen Awards in April, Anne with an E won seven awards, including best drama series and an acting nomination for McNulty.

The final episode of the series aired on CBC on Nov. 24, 2019. The third season will be available on Netflix on Jan. 3, 2020.

You can watch the complete series on CBC Gem.

With files from the Associated Press.