It is unlikely that there will be more episodes of The Last Alaskans, as the show has been “shelved” since 2019.
The Last Alaskans is a documentary series that was produced for television, and it is hailed for its authentic portrayal of the everyday lives of the families who star in the program.
Although the show was very popular, season four already ended at the beginning of 2019 and it is unlikely that there will be more episodes, as the show has been “shelved.”
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Why is The Last Alaskans so compelling?
The Last Alaskans is a documentary series that focuses on the everyday lives of the families that live in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska.
While this does not sound that interesting on paper, these families live in extreme wilderness conditions, which often leave the audience pondering some of life’s great questions.
What really sets this program apart from other television shows is that there is no manufactured drama or scripts. The show is a respectful portrayal of the everyday, mundane lives and activities of these families.
It is an authentic look into the lives of a group of people that many people did not know existed before this television program aired in 2015.
Will there be more episodes of The Last Alaskans?
The Last Alaskans gained a loyal viewership quickly, because of the authentic portrayal of what it is like to live in the 19.2 million acres of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
However, a loyal viewership and high ratings is not all that is needed to keep a television program like this on the air.
In fact, there are many factors that contribute to the success and continued airing of a television program, especially on a popular network like the Discovery Channel.
While the fourth season of The Last Alaskans finished airing in January 2019, and fans were certain that the fifth season would follow soon after, various interruptions like the passing of one of the beloved characters on the show, Bob Harte, and other interferences like the difficult filming conditions, have resulted in the show being shelved.
It is imperative to note that the Discovery Channel has not officially cancelled the show yet, and that it being shelved instead of being cancelled means that there could potentially be more episodes in seasons to come.
However, this seems like an unlikely event after nearly four years with no new episodes. However fans can still enjoy all the previously released episodes of The Last Alaskans and ponder over why this popular show has been halted for so long.
How many episodes of The Last Alaskans has there been to date?
Even though The Last Alaskans has been shelved for the time being and it is unlikely that more episodes of the show will air in the future, all of the previous episodes are still available for you to watch.
There have been a total of 36 episodes of The Last Alaskans to air on television to date, and these episodes can be divided amongst the four seasons of the show as follows:
| Season of The Last Alaskans | Number of episodes in the season |
| Season 1 | 8 |
| Season 2 | 8 |
| Season 3 | 10 |
| Season 4 | 10 |
Why Bob Harte’s passing may have affected filming
Although the network has not yet put out an official statement with regard to if and when more episodes of The Last Alaskans will air, fans of the show have been left to ponder the possible reasons why the series was “shelved”, even though it received positive reviews and high ratings throughout its previous four seasons.
One of the reasons that fans have come up with is that the passing of one of the show’s fan-favourite cast members, Bob Harte, may have disrupted the chemistry and energy of the rest of the cast during the filming of season four and that the footage after this event just did not fit in with the rest of the show and what fans have come to expect from it.
Other reasons why The Last Alaskans may have been “shelved”
The Discovery Channel, where The Last Alaskans airs, is a popular channel with many other shows and new shows are being developed and filmed every year.
To add to this, the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge where the show is filmed features some of the most complex and treacherous terrains in the world. This can make it difficult to film at times.
This could be one of the reasons for the halt in the production of The Last Alaskans, or it may be as simple as resources being diverted to another project.