‘Bates Motel’s Fifth and Final Season Gets a February Premiere Date

Bates Motel star Vera Farmiga
Vera Farmiga stars in A&E’s “Bates Motel” (Photo by Cate Cameron / Copyright 2017)

A&E’s critically acclaimed dramatic series Bates Motel will be finishing up its primetime run with the upcoming fifth season which the network just announced will premiere on February 20, 2017 at 10pm ET/PT. The fifth season will find Norman Bates’ mental condition deteriorating even further as he carries on conversations with his recently deceased mother, Norman. Freddie Highmore returns as Norman and Vera Farmiga is back as Norma in the series’ final season. Also returning are Max Thierot as Dylan Massett, Olivia Cooke as Emma Decody, and Nestor Carbonell as Alex Romero. Kenny Johnson and Ryan Hurst return as Caleb Calhoun and Chick Hogan, respectively.


Rihanna joins the cast as Marion Crane along with Isabelle McNally and Austin Nichols as Madeleine Loomis and Sam Loomis. Bates Motel was created by writers Carlton Cuse (The Strain, Lost) and Kerry Ehrin (Friday Night Lights, Parenthood) who also serve as executive producers with Vera Farmiga, Tucker Gates, and Tom Szentgyorgyi.

The Plot: This contemporary prequel to the genre-defining film Psycho has provided fans with an intimate look into the unraveling of Norman Bates’ psyche throughout his teenage years. Fans watched as Norman’s dangerous transformation came full circle when he methodically murdered his beloved mother, Norma, in the final gut-wrenching episodes of season four. Season five of “Bates Motel” picks up almost two years later and finds Norman (Freddie Highmore), a grown man now, living a double life. Publicly he’s a happy and well-adjusted member of the White Pine Bay community, but at home Norman struggles; his violent blackouts continue to increase as ‘Mother’ (Vera Farmiga) threatens to take over his mind completely.

Meanwhile, Dylan Massett (Max Thierot) and Emma Decody (Olivia Cooke), since leaving White Pine Bay, have been living their lives blissfully unaware of Norma’s death and Norman’s full on descent into psychosis. Unfortunately, for them, they will soon find themselves drawn back into Norman’s insanity, while a vengeful Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell), who is currently incarcerated for a perjury, hungers for a chance to destroy his stepson and avenge the murder of his one true love, Norma Bates.