Rebecca Cutter's crime drama series Hightown season 3 premiered on Starz on January 26, 2024. Season 3 of the show continues to follow Jackie, a narcotics officer dealing with addiction, as she unravels the mysterious murder of a girl she spent the night with.The official synopsis of season 3 of the show, as per Prime Video, reads:"In Hightown season three, Jackie Quiñones must reckon with her loyalties and beliefs to choose the right path in the biggest fight of her life, where the ones closest to her may be the most dangerous."For viewers wondering if the show has been renewed for a fourth season, the answer is no. As per reports by TV Line, Starz discontinued Hightown after its third season. This comes as a shock to fans of the show, as the final season ended quite abruptly.Why was Hightown not renewed for a fourth season? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAccording to an article published on December 12, 2023, TVLine confirmed that the seven-episode run of Hightown season 3 would be its final one. The show was not picked up for a fourth season, potentially due to financial considerations at Starz, and not because it had reached a natural endpoint.Although it was critically praised, with a dedicated fan base, and excellent acting by an ensemble cast led by Monica Raymund and James Badge Dale, the show fell victim to Starz's overall cost-cutting measures. The network has been paring down its scripted slate, focusing only on high-performing or flagship series such as those in the Power franchise.With its expensive production costs and increasingly darker, more complex storytelling, the show was too costly in proportion to its ratings. According to a June 14, 2022, report by Wicked Local, the show spent $48 million on production costs for season 3.There were no off-screen feuds or artistic differences; the cancellation was strictly a business choice. Critics and viewers alike pointed out that the show still had some narrative momentum, and the third season's cliffhanger finale indicates that the creators intended to keep going.How did Hightown season 3 end? View this post on Instagram Instagram PostHightown season 3 sees Jackie Quiñones fighting her worsening addiction while trying to solve the cryptic vanishing of a woman she was with, an incident she can hardly recall. Jackie is now a narcotics officer and tries to balance work with personal chaos, drowning deeper as the case ripples like hers.In the meantime, Ray settles in with Renee and their new baby, trying for a more normal life. But Renee illicitly returns to running her former strip club and revives level-one drug dealing. Frankie, who remains in prison, manipulates a new doting fan, Rachel, into assisting him to take charge on the outside, putting Ray and Renee's tenuous stability at risk.These plot lines overlap as Jackie hits rock bottom, addressing her savior complex and reaffirming her sobriety. The season, reduced to only seven episodes, is concluded abruptly, with several of the plotlines left hanging. Frankie dies, but his death leaves questions about the fallout unanswered. Jackie and Leslie's tense relationship is left unresolved. Ray's destiny with Internal Affairs, Osito's fate, and Renee's double life are all left hanging in the air.Critics and viewers alike cited that the pacing was incomplete, with main plotlines building up before being abruptly stopped. While producers asserted that this was the planned conclusion, the series finale feels like a hasty cancellation. While Jackie's journey is resolved, the abrupt ending deprived audiences of the greater resolution the show appeared to be building toward.Hightown is available to stream on Starz and Netflix.