Why, Me? - Season 11

***Why, Me?***was revived for an eleventh season by *Tanzania* in 2032: two years after it‘s conclusion on *LinkMe*. The season featured 20 episodes and premiered on September 11, 2032. Eight and a half months later, on May 28, 2033, the season wrapped. The series’ ratings figures was the highest on record for the show - averaging 3.42 million viewers per episode (which Jax Garcia put down to “new characters, new network and a new direction”).

After the confirmation that the show was returning, producers announced that the show would only chronicle around the lives of: Jax Garcia, Max Black, Keira, and Ryan Alexander, along with two new female characters; bringing the number of cast members down to six. With four cast members from the previous season not back on the show: a writer for the show confirmed that they thought Dan, Lila Miller and Madison Graves were kept best “written out of the series” and although they would “navigate an interesting storyline” through Charlie Crewe: he’d declined the offer. After much speculation, Mary De La Wary was announced to be returning to the show alongside new castmate and Jax’s new girlfriend, Joyce Gunvalson.

## Plot

Jax is back in Northdale and has bought an unexpected friend with him — Joyce: much to Max and his new housemates, Keira and Ryan’s dismay. After getting to know her, a huge secret is revealed causing cracks amongst the house. With many new adventures on it’s way - from Jax‘s mental health struggles to finding a new job and Max, Keira and Ryan‘s rocketing popularity down to Mary‘s new leadership, how will this group fare living all under the same roof?

After Dan’s business idea fails, he is forced to sell his Californian mansion - leaving him, Jax, Lila and Madison homeless. Feeling hopeless, Dan rejects returning to Northdale and with Madison and Jax’s relationship troubled due to their situation, they go their separate ways. Adoptive brother, Max, alongside his YouTube co-stars, Keira (also Jax’s ex-co-writer) and Ryan, invite him to move in after they have all recently moved in together to really excel in their new opportunities. Jax brings along his new friend that he met on the flight home, Joyce. After hitting it off immediately, Jax asks Max to let her to stay with him for a few days after she reveals she has no home arrangements temporarily. Reluctantly, Max accepts. Feeling confused with how he can move on with his life, Jax grapples with his worsening depression. After the first week back home, Jax shows Joyce around her new town yet also invites a familiar face back to California to manage Max’s YouTube “threesome” and it’s broadening horizons. Once Mary moves in, she helps create an “amazing” studio for Max, Keira and Ryan to film their YouTube videos (nicknamed The Blues). However, her arrival causes trouble for Jax and Joyce as he opens up his feelings towards her yet she sees a “spark” between him and Mary. With tension between all of Jax, Joyce and Mary, Max tells Jax that he has to ask Joyce to leave. After making up, Joyce invites Mary to a Puerto Rican restaurant in a bid to showcase her culture. Keira comes along too leaving Max to have a “tough conversation” with Jax regarding the latter getting a job. An intervention is later staged once Ryan catches Mary stealing at a cashpoint. With Jax believing Joyce, he is furious at his friends yet is shocked when he is confronted with her past. Fleeing Northdale, Max leads a search party in the effort to find his adoptive younger brother after knowing his mental health struggles. After finding Jax and returning home, the six make a pact to start afresh and always ask one another for help.

Keira helps Jax find a job while Max, Mary and Ryan rejoice to get Joyce some credit within the YouTube collaboration. The group is later divided when Joyce, knowing her history, loses a necklace gifted from her grandmother. Questioning her leaves cracks in Joyce’s relationship with Max and Ryan. A mid-season episode focuses on each character explaining all about them in a rare look into themselves. The gang’s safety is rocked when burglars intrude while Jax, Joyce and Ryan are home. After Max, Mary and Keira work together to storm the house and eventually scare the intruders away, the gang work together to ensure their house is burglar-proof. The group also have moments where they rally round together to help one of their members - for example when Mary’s Lyme disease is hard for her to cope with and when Keira’s priorities are being mismatched by her new love interest. However, friendships are once again tested when Jax and Max question Ryan and his new girlfriend’s relationship and when Jax puts Mary’s life in balance. Not just this, Jax and Joyce’s relationship is also once again tested when a wedge is put between them after Joyce is revealed to no longer speak to her parents: which Jax fails to accept because of his late mother. Later on in the series, the gang rejoice when hearing about Max’s tumultuous life since marriage (which has since been annulled) and the series concludes with Mary’s partnership with the YouTube trio tarnished when her irresponsibility causes the threesome to consider whether to stop their careers.

## Cast and Production

On January 24, 2032, *Tanzania* announced they had secured the rights to revive the series of *Why, Me?*: following the end of it’s 11-year run in 2030 on *LinkMe*. *Tanzania* announced they were working with *LinkMe* to focus on the “best possible avenue” to go down when exploring casting and character developments. Despite Max Black dismissing the rumours of a return of the show, he, Jax Garcia, Keira and Ryan Alexander were all announced to have signed contracts by February 21, 2032. Dan, Charlie Crewe, Lila Miller and Madison Graves all separately stated that they wouldn’t be returning for the revival. *Tanzania* later said that they had approached Crewe for a return based on a “creative storyline” yet he had declined because of other projects. Graves recently spoke out about her disappointment not to be involved in the eleventh season and Dan called it a “blessing in disguise”: describing that he had done the same thing for “too many years” and it was right to leave his journey “in 2030” but remained angry at *Tanzania*.

On March 2, 2032, a “familiar face” was promised to have been added back to the line-up. Andrew was originally rumoured to be returning yet he was soon ruled out when two female characters were confirmed to be compelling the line-up - marking the smallest cast number in the history of the show. Mary De La Wary, when hounded by press, alluded to the fact that she did say she would be up for a return after she was let go once Season 6 had finished. Ariel Dungres was also part of the rumoured list yet Max Black ruled this possibility out when he said that they couldn’t ”stand each other” and “couldn’t be in the same room”. On March 19, 2032, Mary De La Wary was confirmed to be returning to the line-up alongside new castmate and Jax Garcia‘s new girlfriend - described as a “latino flare with great connections and a fiery personality” - Joyce Gunvalson. Filming begun in April 2032 with the first episode being shown later in the year, in September. Wrapping in November, the last episode of the series aired in May 2033.

## Trivia

* Dan, Lila, and Madison remained in California; where they were posted, along with Charlie, remaining in prison.
* Characters, Mary De La Wary, Andrew, and Jade Corey, were linked to possibly returning to the series in some form, likely to be in a full capacity.
	+ Andrew was ruled out when it was announced that two female characters would’ve been part of the line-up and Jade Corey was also later ruled out due to her severed relationship with *LinkMe* feeding through to *Tanzania* (which she described as “not mended”). Mary De La Wary refused to comment yet did allude to the fact that once her contact expired after Season 6, she did admit she’d love to return one day.
		- When the co-writers of the show teased one “familiar face and one bold, fiery and independent new woman”, fans jumped to the conclusion that Ariel Dungres might be returning after her return to the network on the series, *GumPop*. This was quickly ruled out by Max Black who attributed it to that him and Dungres “couldn’t be in the same room”.

* Four main characters are absent this season:
	+ Mary De La Wary is absent during three episodes this season. She is absent during the episodes, *Welcome Home*, *Cupid’s Destruction*, and *Watch This Space*.
	+ Ryan Alexander is absent during three episodes this season. He is absent during the episodes, *Two J’s in a Pod,* *C’est La Vie*, and *Cupid’s Destruction.*
	+ Keira is absent during two episodes this season. She is absent during the episodes, *Two J’s in a Pod* and *Watch This Space*.
	+ Joyce Gunvalson is absent during one episode this season. She is absent during the finale episode, *Voice of Shame*.