The Cleaning Lady is officially coming back for more. Deadline reports that Fox has renewed the Élodie Yung-led drama for a fourth season. Sources also say that there will be just 12 episodes, much like Seasons 2 and 3. On top of the renewal, there will also be a new showrunner. Miranda Kwok and Jeannine Renshaw served as co-showrunners for Season 3 and also executive produced. They both will be stepping down, and Fox is searching for a new showrunner. Kwok, who developed The Cleaning Lady, will become an executive consultant on the series as she focuses on her ongoing development with Warner Bros. Television and an upcoming project with Berlanti Productions.
While the linear ratings for Season 3 were down, the Live + Same Day ratings have helped, ticking up 131% for 3.6 million multi-platform viewers. Financials for Season 4 are also expected to improve, with a strong international revenue, which likely made the renewal a little bit easier. It was previously reported that The Cleaning Lady was expected to be renewed as negotiations were happening. However, talks between Fox and co-producing studio WBTV “went on for weeks.”
The episode count was one of the last remaining issues, as many networks these days have been having trouble with having full seasons even before the strikes due to budgets. Fellow Fox show 9-1-1: Lone Star will be returning this fall after not being on Fox’s spring 2024 schedule, and just like The Cleaning Lady, it will only have 12 episodes instead of the usual 18. Whether or not episode counts could be increased is unknown, but from the sound of it, that’s unlikely.
Much of Season 3’s storyline had to be written following the death of star Adan Canto. The series eventually killed off his character, Arman Morales, and paid tribute to the actor, who passed away in January at 42 following a quiet battle with appendiceal cancer.
The Cleaning Lady was just one of two live-action scripted shows to air on Fox during the 2023-24 season after the strikes, alongside Alert: Missing Persons Unit, which was also renewed. Accused was held off for the 2024-25 season with Lone Star. Fox released its fall 2024 schedule, but The Cleaning Lady is absent. The series is expected to return sometime during midseason 2025.