Servant Season 3 Release Date, Cast, And Plot - What We Know So Far
Apple TV+ is the subscription-based streaming service from Apple, and even though it might not have a vast content library like some of more established streaming services do, it still has plenty of shows that justify the price of entry. One of those is "Servant," the creepy psychological horror series created by Tony Basgallop and executive produced by M. Night Shyamalan, who also directs some of the episodes.
"Servant" has everything that a Shyamalan fan could want. It's set in Philadelphia, like most of his movies. It's claustrophobic, mostly set inside the townhouse of one isolated couple. And practically every episode has a major twist that turns everything on its head.
Apple renewed "Servant" for a third season in December 2020, before its second season even premiered. With the Season 2 finale officially on the books as of March 19, however, it's now officially time to start looking ahead to Season 3. Here's everything we know about one of the creepiest shows on Apple TV+ — or any streaming platform for that matter.
Updated November 2, 2021: This article has been updated with new information revealed in the first full-length trailer for Season 3.
What is the release date for Servant Season 3?
Season 2 began filming in January 2020 (via The Philadelphia Inquirer), wrapped in July (according to M. Night Shyamalan on Twitter), and premiered in January 2021. That's about six months of filming, and another six months of marketing and post before the premiere.
You might have noticed that the majority of "Servant" Season 2's filming took place while COVID-19 was spreading rapidly through the United States. That's because "Servant" was one of the few major Hollywood productions small enough to film safely during the worst of the pandemic, with just four main cast members, and a single soundstage location.
On March 16, 2021, Shyamalan Tweeted that he had just finished directing the first episode of Season 3, which seemed like a good sign, but it took several more months until we received anymore concrete information from either Shyamalan or Apple. Now, thanks to the release of the first full-length trailer for Season 3, we can report that new episodes of "Servant" will begin streaming on Apple TV+ on January 21, 2022.
Who's in the cast of Servant Season 3?
There haven't been any announcements regarding additions to the Season 3 cast, but there most likely wouldn't be anyway. Shyamalan and creator Tony Basgallop have been planning for "Servant" to run for four seasons at ten episodes each from the outset (via Apple Magazine). Since "Servant" is planned out ahead of time, it's not necessarily the sort of show that brings in a new recurring cast member every season.
That means "Servant" Season 3 will most likely see the return of the four principal cast members. They include Nell Tiger Free as Leanne, the mysterious nanny whom the Graysons hire to care for their baby; Lauren Ambrose as Dorothy Turner, news reporter and bereaved mother to Jericho; Toby Kebbell as Sean Turner, Dorothy's husband; and Rupert Grint as Julian Pearce, Dorothy's brother. It's also entirely possible the show brings back Season 2 cast members like Boris McGiver, who plays Dorothy's uncle, or Jerrika Hinton as Dorothy's therapist.
What's the plot of Servant Season 3?
Season 2 spoilers ahead
Before we delve into the upcoming third (and fourth) seasons of "Servant," it's worth noting that this is a show that's designed to be bizarre and mysterious. Even the cast members themselves often don't know what's going on — star Rupert Grint told Backstage that he and his fellow cast members receive their scripts one at a time. They know about as much about the show overall as the audience does. So it's impossible predict exactly what's going to happen. That being said, we know this show is halfway through its planned run. The first two seasons have been building up to a big showdown between the Turners and the secretive religious cult, with Leanne stuck somewhere in the middle.
To review: For most of the first two seasons, the show built up Leanne as a mysterious character with unexplained powers, refusing to indicate whether she meant to harm the Turners or to help them in her own twisted way. Leanne has given the Turners an ultra-realistic baby doll resembling Jericho, and brought it to life. This seems to have drawn the attention of the folks from Leanne's past.
In the Season 2 finale, Uncle George and Aunt Josephine show up. They seem to be two members of the mysterious cult that Leanne belonged to, and they arrive to perform sadistic cleansing rituals to punish Leanne for straying from the fold. Leanne kills Aunt Josephine, but it's a temporary victory. She tells the Turners to expect more visits from twisted cult members in their future.
What's up with this mysterious cult? What are Leanne's true intentions? And will the Turners' marriage survive the oncoming holy war? The first full-length trailer for Season 3 contains some hints, but even these glimpses are as cryptic as you might expect. Parse them at your own risk.