The Fosters (season 3)

The third season of The Fosters premiered on June 8, 2015 and ended on March 28, 2016. The season consisted of 20 episodes and stars Teri Polo and Sherri Saum as Stef Foster and Lena Adams, an interracial lesbian couple, who foster a girl (Maia Mitchell) and her younger brother (Hayden Byerly) while also trying to juggle raising Latino twin teenagers (Cierra Ramirez and Noah Centineo) and Stef's biological son (David Lambert). In this season, after Jesus' accident, he leaves for boarding school and Stef is determined to find the suspect responsible. Meanwhile, Callie meets a runaway, AJ (Tom Williamson), and Brandon starts his music program at Idyllwild. The Adams Foster couple experience marital problems while also battling the final steps of Callie's adoption. Also, Jesus goes on the search to find his birth father.

The Fosters
Season 3
The Fosters season 3 poster
Starring	Teri Polo Sherri Saum Hayden Byerly David Lambert Maia Mitchell Danny Nucci Cierra Ramirez Noah Centineo
Country of origin	United States
No. of episodes	20
Release
Original network	ABC Family/Freeform
Original release	June 8, 2015 – March 28, 2016
Season chronology

Cast

Main cast Teri Polo as Stef Adams Foster Sherri Saum as Lena Adams Foster Maia Mitchell as Callie Adams Foster Noah Centineo as Jesus Adams Foster Cierra Ramirez as Mariana Adams Foster David Lambert as Brandon Foster Hayden Byerly as Jude Adams Foster Danny Nucci as Mike Foster

Recurring cast Tom Williamson as AJ Hensdale Chris Warren Jr. as Ty Hensdale Jordan Rodrigues as Mat Tan Denyse Tontz as Cortney Strathmore Brandon Quinn as Gabriel Duncroft Louis Hunter as Nick Stratos Alexandra Barreto as Ana Gutierrez Marlene Forte as Elena Gutierrez Tony Plana as Victor Gutierrez Yvette Monreal as Adriana Gutierrez Gavin MacIntosh as Connor Stevens Chris Bruno as Adam Stevens Daffany Clark as Daphne Keene Alicia Sixtos as Carmen Cherinda Kincherlow as Kiara Annika Marks as Monte Porter Keean Johnson as Tony Alberto De Diego as Rafael Bianca A. Santos as Lexi Rivera Kelli Williams as Justina Marks Annie Potts as Sharon Elkin Rob Morrow as Will Rosie O'Donnell as Rita Hendricks

Guest cast Lorraine Toussaint as Dana Adams Bruce Davison as Stuart Adams Travis Schuldt as Nathan Adams Kerr Smith as Robert Quinn Bailee Madison as Sophia Quinn Valerie Dillman as Jill Quinn Suzanne Cryer as Jenna Paul Amanda Leighton as Emma Jamie McShane as Donald Jacob Madisen Beaty as Talya Banks Ashley Argota as Lou Chan Alex Saxon as Wyatt Garrett Clayton as Chase Dillon Corbin Bleu as Mercutio Madison Pettis as Daria Izabela Vidovic as Taylor Tom Phelan as Cole Annamarie Kenoyer as Becka

Episodes

No. overall	No. in season	Title	Directed by	Written by	Original air date	US viewers (millions)
43	1	"Wreckage"	Peter Paige	Bradley Bredeweg & Peter Paige	June 8, 2015	1.26[1]
The Fosters deal with the aftermath of the car accident and Jesus goes to boarding school. Stef uses her police skills to catch the driver. Meanwhile, Callie meets AJ, a runaway, who drops in at the center, looking for his older brother. Brandon begins a program at Idyllwild Music Program, but he faces serious competition. Jude confesses to Connor that he prefers keeping their relationship a secret.
44	2	"Father's Day"	Aprill Winney	Joanna Johnson	June 15, 2015	0.97[2]
The Fosters spend Father's Day with Mike and Adam. Adam learns that everyone at school knows that Connor, his son, is gay and condemns him for it. Meanwhile, Callie spends Father's Day with Robert and learns that Sophia, her half-sister, is living with her mother after her parents announced their separation. Due to Donald's involvement in the death of Callie and Jude's mother, Callie disapproves of joining Jude for Father's Day. Stef and Lena suggest to Mike that he adopt AJ.
45	3	"Déjà Vu"	Charlie Stratton	Thomas Higgins	June 22, 2015	1.00[3]
Stef tells Lena that she spotted Monte, Lena's boss, at a gay bar and questions whether she knows Monte is gay. The moms set up Monte with Stef's friend Jenna, but Lena feels conflicted. Meanwhile, both Callie and Brandon dislike AJ spending so much time in Brandon's room and witness him stealing a valuable object of Brandon's. In the end, he returns it but Brandon catches him in the act. Also, Jude and Connor have trouble moving on from the shooting, so they decide to visit a shooting range with Stef.
46	4	"More Than Words"	Daisy Mayer	Marissa Jo Cerar	June 29, 2015	1.18[4]
Lena's parents come over for a visit and announce that her half-brother, Nate, will be joining them with his new girlfriend. Lena, demanding an apology for his racist comments, tries to convince her mother, Dana, to tell her father but feels conflicted after learning Nate's new girlfriend is black. However, she refuses. At the dinner, Dana agrees that he owes them an apology. Lena's father demands to know what is going on and learns the truth. Nate, who in the past felt abandoned by his father, accuses him of always choosing his other family over him and leaves. Meanwhile, Cole invites Callie to a LGBT prom. Cole, having shown interest in Callie, kisses her. Connor and Jude join them at the party, however, Jude refuses to label himself as gay when Connor is open about it. While this initially leads to problems between the two, Cole helps Jude see the power of labels and Jude officially calls himself as gay to Connor, mending their relationship.
47	5	"Going South"	Elodie Keene	Michael MacLennan	July 6, 2015	1.30[5]
Having received her driver's license in the previous episode, Callie now forces Brandon to go to Mexico with her. Meanwhile, the moms find a pregnancy test in the trash and believe Callie is pregnant with Brandon's baby. Mariana reveals the test is hers and that she had sex with Wyatt. Stef, after some convincing from Oscar, their contractor, agrees to marriage counseling.
48	6	"It's My Party"	Kees Van Oostrum	Megan Lynn & Wade Solomon	July 13, 2015	1.30[6]
It's Callie's 17th birthday. Jude plans a surprise party for her and invites the girls from Girls United, Wyatt, and Rafael. After getting her driver's license, Mariana and Callie settle on buying a car. At the birthday party, Robert presents his daughter his gift: a car. She declines and encourages him to talk to Sophia after the reveal that he had been having an affair. Robert is still uncomfortable. However, Stef makes him realize otherwise. Callie becomes uncomfortable with the birthday party and says that she wishes it hadn't happened. Jude hears it and lashes out at his sister, saying that when she was a child she would always celebrate her birthday. Callie apologizes. Wyatt reveals to Callie that he slept with Mariana, which angers Callie. She confronts Mariana, who apologizes. Meanwhile, Brandon becomes more suspicious about AJ when he phones someone. At the party, Brandon goes through his phone and discovers that AJ had been phoning his brother and lashes out at him. Mike condemns Brandon for starting the fight and his son reveals the truth. However, Mike doesn't want to hear it and Brandon leaves. Mike later apologizes and reassures him that he loves him. In the end, AJ presents a gift to Callie. In the heat of the moment, AJ kisses her but pulls back and apologizes. Callie dismisses his apology and kisses him back, all the while Stef is watching from the kitchen window.
49	7	"Faith, Hope, Love"	Jann Turner	Cristian Martinez & Kris Q. Rehl	July 20, 2015	1.33[7]
To separate Callie and AJ after the kiss, Rita makes plans for AJ to move into her house. AJ meets up with his brother, Ty, who wants AJ to leave town with him and tells him not to trust Mike's intentions. While parking her new car, Callie and AJ are arrested for ‘stealing’ the car her and Mariana bought earlier. Brandon composes a unique piano piece and shows it to his friend at Idyllwild to get advise, but he ends up copying it and presenting it as his own. He tells Brandon that he isn’t a threat and that’s why he brought him back. Mariana, wanting to be her sister’s godmother, is pushed by Victor to join the Catholic church. Initially, Mariana agrees to but decides not to because she doesn’t agree with their message. Ana tells everyone that she doesn’t feel like a good mom—Lena revealing she may have PPD. Mariana stands up for Ana to Ana’s parents. Lena reveals to Stef that she still isn’t over losing her own baby. Later, a social worker comes to the house and reveals that she won’t support Callie’s adoption until she figures out her situation with Brandon.
50	8	"Daughters"	Chandra Wilson	Elle Johnson	August 3, 2015	1.23[8]
Callie, now living with Rita, unexpectedly meets Rita’s daughter, Chloe. Before she leaves, Chloe accuses Rita of being a bad mother and Rita accuses Chloe of being off her medication. The next time she comes over to argue, Rita slaps her. Callie and Brandon are separately interviewed by the social worker, where they accidentally provide different answers. Through this, Brandon discovers the real reason AJ was supposed to move out and confronts Lena and Stef about not treating the situation with AJ the same as they did for Brandon. He reveals that he isn’t happy about it, and everyone knows about their marital issues. After reflecting, Stef apologizes to Brandon for underestimating him and not treating him the same as the other kids. Lena feels that Stef is ignoring their issues by cancelling therapy and hiring a plumber who may like her. After an outburst by Jude at school, Lena reveals her doubts to Monte. Meanwhile, Stef is looking for the hit-and-run driver, and discovers that the owner’s previously ruled out son may be connected after all. At Girls United, Rita breaks up a fight between Carmen and Brooke, which ends in Carmen getting hit. Both Carmen and Brooke agree that Rita hit Carmen, and Rita is arrested. Callie, after learning that her app may cause problems for other foster kids if they speak out, shares her own story, asking others to do the same. That night, Brandon waits outside Girls United but leaves before he can talk to Callie.
51	9	"Idyllwild"	Joanna Johnson	Joanna Johnson	August 10, 2015	1.06[9]
The episode begins the night before the performance at Idyllwild, the competition that determines which composer will perform at Disney Hall. Jenna's friend lets the entire family stay in a cabin right next to Idyllwild. The next day Brandon takes a huge risk and decides to play his own piece. Monte breakes up with Jenna, who believes that she is in love with Lena. Jenna tells Stef and in the process tells her about the kiss between Monte and Lena. Callie sends a voice recording that clears Carmen's charges against Rita. However, this recording also reveals to Rita that Brandon and Callie kissed on the day of the Girls United fundraiser, and because of this, Callie assumes she will not be adopted and after talking about it with Brandon, they have sex.
52	10	"Lucky"	Peter Paige	Bradley Bredeweg & Peter Paige	August 17, 2015	1.24[10]
Callie's adoption reaches a critical stage while Lena and Stef continue to have marital issues. After his father continues to be unaccepting, Connor considers moving to Los Angeles to live with his mother. Stef and Lena ultimately make up. After an impassioned speech to a judge, Callie is officially adopted by the Adams-Foster family. While initially upset by Connor's choice, Jude decides to support him after hearing Callie tell the judge about how much having a loving family means to her. Jude and Connor promise to maintain a long-distance relationship and admit they love each other for the first time. Returning home, they are surprised to find Jesus waiting for them, claiming to be back to surprise them for Callie's adoption. He soon, however, confides in Mariana that he can't return to boarding school. Note: Noah Centineo joins the cast and makes his first appearance.
53	11	"First Impressions"	Peter Paige	Bradley Bredeweg & Peter Paige	January 25, 2016	1.05[11]
Callie gives a presentation on her 'Fost and Found' app and catches the attention of an investor who works in foster care. Stef finds out that AJ's brother, Ty, was the one behind the accident and that Mike was planning on burying the evidence on the heels of the death of the brothers' grandmother. Meanwhile, Ty asks AJ to run away with him since he knows that the police have found a trail. Lexi is back in town, which throws Mariana off-kilter as she had become close to Emma while Lexi was away. Lexi is also showing a rekindled interest in Jesus. Brandon has a chance to audition for a spot at Juilliard but is reluctant to tell his family because of its recent financial woes. Stef's mother is concerned about Stef's health.
54	12	"Mixed Messages"	Rich Newey	Thomas Higgins	February 1, 2016	0.79[12]
Brandon and Callie panic and argue when they learn their secret may have been exposed. Brandon also might have a potential new love interest. Lena and Sharon, Stef's mother, argue about treatments for Stef. Meanwhile, both Lexi and Mariana run for junior class president, which creates some tension, culminating in a nasty debate at school. Mike goes to the funeral of AJ's grandmother, after learning that AJ had left him to be with his brother.
55	13	"If and When"	Elodie Keene	Anne Meredith	February 8, 2016	0.84[13]
Callie learns that Jude is spending time with a quirky teen they met at a foster youth event. Brandon and Matt have a disagreement over the musical they are writing for their senior project. Jesus attempts to learn the identity of his birth father.
56	14	"Under Water"	Ron Lagomarsino	Joanna Johnson	February 15, 2016	0.81[14]
After Callie and Jude discover Jack is being abused by other boys in his group foster home, so they turn to foster care advocate, Justina, for help. Jesus tries to get to know Gabriel at work better. Nick urges Jesus to tell Gabriel the truth about who he is. Mariana is surprised when Nick asks her out.
57	15	"Minor Offenses"	Rob Morrow	Michael MacLennan	February 22, 2016	0.79[15]
When Stef and Lena discover Callie wants to film an endorsement ad supporting a new foster care reform bill, they express concern, prompting Callie to seek out Rita for support. Hoping to impress Mariana, Nick turns to Jesus for advice on planning their first date. Stef recovers from a medical procedure.
58	16	"EQ"	Anne Renton	Anne Meredith	February 29, 2016	0.67[16]
Brandon’s senior thesis is in jeopardy when a student raises concerns about the play glorifying suicide. This results in the school honor board having to vote on whether or not the Romeo and Juliet musical can be performed at Anchor Beach. Rita’s (guest star Rosie O’Donnell) daughter Chloe reaches out to Callie after Rita refuses to take her calls. As part of a Youth Outreach Program Stef teaches a class on handling emotions.
59	17	"Sixteen"	Elodie Keene	Marissa Jo Cerar	March 7, 2016	0.84[17]
Jesus is upset after his plans for a low key birthday are overtaken by Mariana, who plans a huge dance party instead. Jude is excited by the prospect of a weekend visit with Connor. Callie and Brandon agree to a truce by agreeing not to bring their new significant others home or to family functions.
60	18	"Rehearsal"	Norman Buckley	Megan Lynn & Wade Solomon	March 14, 2016	0.73[18]
Callie affirms for the benefit of Daphne with an end goal to help her recover her little girl, however when the judge puts off his decision, Callie feels committed to help Daphne locate a steady employment, which is one of the judge's necessities to recapture authority.
61	19	"The Show"	Bradley Bredeweg	Story by : Joanna Johnson Teleplay by : Bradley Bredeweg & Peter Paige	March 21, 2016	0.80[19]
Mat and Mariana's actual affections for each other surface the premiere night of Brandon's rock musical; Stef makes an unfortunate disclosure at an aggressive behavior home call.
62	20	"Kingdom Come"	Joanna Johnson	Story by : Bradley Bredeweg & Peter Paige Teleplay by : Joanna Johnson	March 28, 2016	0.77[20]
An awful misfortune unites the family. Regardless of Callie's faltering, Justina pushes ahead with the Fost and Found dispatch party. Brandon tells his mothers that Cortney has a child.

Production

Casting

In March 2015, it was announced that Jake T. Austin would be leaving the show. He tweeted: "I'm honored to have been a part of such a groundbreaking series, but I personally want to let you know that my time on the show has come to an end. Thank you for letting me be a part of your family, it's been a pleasure." It was announced three months later that Noah Centineo would replace Austin in the role of Jesus.[21]

References

1. Metcalf, Mitch (June 9, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 6.8.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 9, 2015.
2. Metcalf, Mitch (June 16, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 6.15.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 16, 2015.
3. Metcalf, Mitch (June 23, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 6.22.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 23, 2015.
4. Metcalf, Mitch (June 30, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 6.29.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved June 30, 2015.
5. Metcalf, Mitch (July 8, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 7.6.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 8, 2015.
6. Metcalf, Mitch (July 14, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 7.13.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 14, 2015.
7. Metcalf, Mitch (July 21, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 7.20.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
8. Metcalf, Mitch (August 4, 2015). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' Wins Night, 'WWE Raw', 'Major Crimes', 'Teen Wolf', 'The Fosters', 'UnReal' & More". TV By the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 6, 2015. Retrieved August 4, 2015.
9. Kondolojy, Amanda (August 11, 2015). "Monday Cable Ratings: 'Love & Hip Hop Atlanta' Tops Night + 'Monday Night RAW', 'She's Got Game', 'Real Housewives of Orange County' & More". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on August 13, 2015. Retrieved August 12, 2015.
10. Metcalf, Mitch (August 17, 2015). "Top 100 Monday Cable Originals: 8.17.2015". Showbuzz Daily. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
11. "Monday cable ratings: 'Stevie J & Joseline: Go Hollywood' lands strong premiere ratings". zap2it.com. 26 January 2016. Archived from the original on 29 January 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
12. "Monday cable ratings: 'Love and Hip Hop' leads, 'WWE Raw' stumbles". zap2it.com. 2 February 2016. Archived from the original on 3 February 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
13. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.8.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
14. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.15.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
15. "Monday cable ratings: 'WWE Raw' reigns supreme, 'Better Call Saul' falls". tvbythenumbers.zap2it.com. Archived from the original on 2016-02-25.
16. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 2.29.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
17. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.7.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
18. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.14.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
19. "Monday cable ratings: 'Love and Hip Hop' leads, 'WWE Raw' falls". tvbythenumbers.com. Archived from the original on 2016-03-25.
20. "UPDATED: SHOWBUZZDAILY's Top 150 Monday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.28.2016". showbuzzdaily.com.
21. Jolie Lash (February 6, 2013). "Jennifer Lopez-Produced Show - The Fosters - Picked Up By ABC Family". Access Hollywood. Retrieved February 6, 2013.