Dear White People Season 4 - What We Know So Far
Though it caused a stir with its first trailer in 2017 (via BBC), Netflix's satirical college show "Dear White People" has continued on for a solid three seasons. It gained viewers during 2020's Black Lives Matter summer protests, according to Deadline, but is now set to end with its fourth and final season.
The series takes place at the fictional Ivy League school Winchester University, where the student base is mostly white and racial tensions are a constant undercurrent for the ensemble of characters. It picks up after the movie of the same name, also by creator Justin Simien, with student radio host and journalist Sam White (Logan Browning) who's trying to bring attention to social issues on campus.
In an interview with Deadline, Simien said, "The fourth season ... unfortunately has been proven, to me and the writers anyway, to be more relevant than it was before we even knew that we were sort of making this show for a post-George Floyd world."
Here's everything we know about "Dear White People" Season 4.
When is the Dear White People Season 4 release date?
While "Dear White People" was renewed in 2019, after the third season dropped on Netflix, Season 4 was delayed from its 2020 release due to the coronavirus pandemic. Justin Simien told Deadline that he and his team had finished writing it by July 2020, but that their filming schedule changed when production was shut down across Hollywood. There is no known release date yet, but the season is slated to come out sometime this year — a fall release seems most likely. As with the past three seasons, fans can expect all 10 episodes to become available on the same day.
"I'm so grateful my little indie-that-could has made it to four seasons at Netflix," Simien told TVLine. "This show, along with the many talented storytellers it has brought into my orbit, has changed my life and I can't wait to create a celebratory final volume befitting such a transformative experience."
Who is in the cast of Dear White People Season 4?
"Dear White People" has something of a unique format; it's truly an ensemble show, with each episode focusing on a different character's perspective. As such, its cast — mostly made up of people of color — centers the story and keeps it moving forward. For the fourth season, fans can expect the core cast to return, including Logan Browning as Sam, Antoinette Robertson as Coco, and Brandon P. Bell as Troy. They appeared together in character on a shared video call to announce the final season.
However, supporting actor Jeremy Tardy, who plays Rashid Mburu, will not be returning. He left the show, citing racial discrimination in regard to his pay negotiations by Lionsgate in a Twitter thread, via Teen Vogue.
There will be at least two additions to the main cast, though. Rome Flynn, who was Gabriel on "How to Get Away with Murder," will play David, who has something to do with Robertson's character Coco, as Deadline reported. Additionally, "Queer Eye" star Karamo Brown is joining the cast, though no details of his character have been revealed.
What is the plot of Dear White People Season 4?
Creator and co-showrunner Justin Simien told Deadline that he aims to make each season of "Dear White People" a complete story, akin to a movie. So the fourth season will tackle its own storyline as many of the characters move into their final year of college. Simien added that virtue-signaling will be one of the main themes of Season 4, as they delve into how racism continues to live on in capitalism after people post their support for Black lives on Instagram.
"So, what happens to a Black life after it's been declared that it mattered was really the question of this season before we realized how urgent that question needed to be asked," Simien said. "There's also just a big aesthetic idea behind this season that will be revealed later that I'm really, really excited about and really sets the season apart from any version of 'Dear White People' that's come before it."
After "Dear White People," Simien is set to run the Disney+ series "Lando."