Why HBO’s recently renewed ‘Insecure’ won’t get longer episodes

As season four of HBO’s hit series “Insecure” winds down, fans can rest assured knowing the story of Issa Dee, Molly Carter and the rest of the series crew will continue. But it won’t involve longer episode times.

HBO announced last month that the show will be renewed for season five.

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“We’re thrilled that (co-creator and star) Issa (Rae), (showrunner) Prentice (Penny), and the whole Insecure team will be getting back together for a fifth season,” said Amy Gravitt, executive vice president, HBO Programming in a press release. “As we laugh and cringe with recognition, their stories make us all feel a little less alone in the world.”

Rae also shared the news with a 10-second video on Twitter.

Fans have been tuning in since October 2016 to watch the lives of Rae’s TV character and her pals unfold as they sort through love, work and friendships. But while the half-hour comedy is adored by fans, they’ve been calling on HBO for years to extend the show to an hour or air more episodes each season.

» RELATED: Issa Rae's 'Insecure' won't return until 2020, and Twitter isn't having it

But the creators and writers of the show have long said lengthier episodes are not happening.

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In 2019, Rae explained to The Guardian about why the creators took a year-long break from the Los Angeles-set series, which did not return for season four until this year.

“We needed a break, after going back-to-back for three years. Making that show means nine months out of the year, you can’t do anything else, and nobody wants to feel like a hamster on a wheel,” she said. “That’s not conducive to creativity at all. So much of that show is about our own experiences, so we need to be able to live life.”

While speaking to the Los Angeles Times about the show in May, "Insecure" writer and actor Natasha Rothwell said, "don't ask if it's going to be an hour because it's not going to be an hour, it will never be an hour, it's a half-hour comedy!"

Recently, showrunner Prentice Penny went on Twitter to explain why the episodes won’t have an extended runtime.