FX Networks has released the official trailer for Pose season 3, the trailblazing TV series created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuk, and Steven Canals.

When it first premiered in 2018, Pose broke barriers by casting a record number of trans actors in regular roles, as well as hiring multiple queer and POC performers, writers, and directors.

Now, fans are gearing up to say an emotional goodbye to the show that changed the TV landscape and meant so much to so many. 

According to FX, the final season flashes forward to 1994. Blanca (portrayed by Mj Rodriquez) struggles to balance being a mother, a present partner to her new love, and a nurse’s aide. Meanwhile, as AIDS becomes the leading cause of death for Americans ages 25 to 44, Pray Tell (Billy Porter) contends with unexpected health burdens.

Porter’s maternal and O-T-T character – a role which won him his first Emmy in 2019 - has been a fan favourite since the beginning, and will undoubtedly be one of the hardest farewells. The trailer hints at his declining health, as he emotionally declares: “I knew this disease was going to eat me alive, but I’m not going out without a fight.”

The future for the House of Evangelista is definitely uncertain, but also promising. Hinting at triumph amongst tragedy, the trailer teases a wedding between Angel (Indya Moore) and Papi (Angel Bismark) following their engagement in the season two finale.

The show has always been about so much more than voguing, cat fights and fabulous outfits. Though set in a city that’s rife with racism, sexism and transphobia, Pose is ultimately a show about community, collective struggle and family.

Many others, I first tuned in for the fascinating insight into New York’s ballroom community, but past beyond the drama and haute, alongside the horrors of the AIDS epidemic, it’s a show about love and joy, and finding those things even when you’re being denied them.

In the trailer’s closing shot, Blanca reminds her family “it’s about our legacy” as they prepare to return to the ballroom to take on a new house threatening their crowns. 

But it is Pose’s own legacy – as a show that did what no other had done before – that is most poignant, and will be remembered for years to come.

Season three of Pose is set to premiere on May 2 on FX. 

Check out the trailer for Season 3 of Pose below.

Image: FX