Elite Season 5 Date Announced Via A Hypnotic European Dance Party

This party just won't stop: Netflix's teen drama "Elite" will be back soon for a fifth season. The announcement comes via a playful, party-themed YouTube teaser that reveals the show's April 8 return date.

"Elite" began in 2018 as a soapy murder mystery with themes of wealth inequality. Since then, the show has stretched out for four seasons of continued mysteries and surprisingly engrossing teen drama — think a mix of "The O.C." and "How To Get Away With Murder," only set in Spain. As the show has grown, it's had some of the cast turnover that's common in high-school-set series, with later seasons that include a markedly different ensemble than the original lineup.

Date announcements can often be pretty run-of-the-mill, but this one is actually interesting because it uses what I like to call "the 'Degrassi: The Next Generation' method." The 57-second teaser is set at a rave, but it also includes clues that might tip us off about where some characters are headed in the new season, just like that seminal teen series used to in its foreshadowing-laden promos. It's a method that's at once awesome and kind of corny, but it definitely encourages repeat viewings as fans try to unpack every detail.

In the date announcement, Argentinian actress–and season 5 newcomer Valentina Zenere oversees the party as a DJ in a shimmering dress. Couples dance towards and away from one another, caught in the thrall of the dance floor but also seemingly unable to keep their eyes on their own partner. Carla Díaz's Ari is among them, her straying eye likely calling back to her season 4 finale confession that she loves both Guzman (Miguel Bernardeau) and Samuel (Itzan Escamilla). In what may be a hint at the season's mystery, an insert shot shows hands that seem to clutch a pillow in ecstasy, but also appear skeletal and golden.

Netflix is known for axing shows in their prime, but "Elite" seems to have a golden ticket to renewal. Its fifth season renewal came a full year ago, before season 4 aired, and the show is already slated for a sixth installment. Like the two seasons before it, season 5 is set to introduce several new cast members. Along with Zenere, Álvaro de Juana, Carmen Arrufat Blasco, Ana Bokesa, Alex Pastrana, and Ander Puig will be joining the melodrama. The new additions were revealed as "five new crushes" on a Spanish-language Instagram post on the official "Elite" page.

"Elite" season five will air on Netflix on April 8, 2022.