A sixth series of Love/Hate is in development but it will not be broadcast next year, according to RTÉ Television's Head of Drama.
Jane Gogan said a sixth series of the crime drama focusing on Dublin's criminal underworld was "currently in development with the writer and creator Stuart Carolan and Octagon Films".
Mr Carolan had indicated earlier this year that a sixth series was in development although it was awaiting an official green light from the broadcaster.
The final episode of the fifth series was shown last week and Ms Gogan said the broadcaster, the producers and Mr Carolan wanted to take some time before going into production with the next series, she told the RTÉ website.
It is unlikely that Nidge, played by Tom Vaughan Lawlor, will return for the sixth series. Speaking after the dramatic finale which saw his character shot multiple times,
Vaughan Lawlor said he was “hugely grateful” to the show and its fans but was “equally looking forward to new challenges ahead” for him on both screen and stage.
“The last five years working on Love/Hate have been an incredible and unforgettable journey for me,” Vaughan Lawlor said in a statement.
“I’ve had the privilege of working with a brilliant cast who I’ve learnt a huge amount from, a tireless and talented crew, a visionary director, an amazing group of producers,” he said.
“I will take wonderful memories of Love/Hate with me together with all the things I’ve learnt on the show into my future work,” he said.
The show has been a ratings winner for RTÉ. For the fifth series the first three episodes secured average audiences of 976,000, 852,000 and 879,000 respectively.
A fourth-episode dip to 769,000 on the bank holiday weekend did little permanent damage, with the audience shooting back to 962,000 for the fifth episode. The series finale attracted a whopping 1,005,400.
Those figures mean that with the exception of episode four, all episodes were watched by more than half of the people watching television at the time.
