Dear White People – Picture: Netflix
Dear White People is returning for its fourth and final season in September 2021. Here’s the latest on everything we know so far about the final season of the Netflix comedy.
The drama/comedy series is based on the novel of the same name by Justin Simien. Dear White People started life in a very controversial fashion just on the name alone. Despite the novel receiving a film adaptation with the same name, the internet became fixated on the title of the series. Despite the controversy, the series was well-received by critics with many highlighting the satire behind the comedy being excellently written.
Dear White People first debuted on Netflix in April 2017 with new “volumes” arriving annually with season 2 arriving in May 2018 and season 3 in August 2019.
Dear White People season 4 release date
It’s taken a significant amount of time but we finally have a release date for Dear White People season 4.
The fourth and final season arrives Wednesday, September 22nd, 2021.
Dear White People Season 4 Netflix Renewal Status
Official Netflix Renewal Status: Renewed in October 2019 for the final season
With no official viewing figures released by Netflix, it’s been hard to judge how the series has performed. Beyond the initial outburst of controversy, the series has been great quality-wise but hard to tell whether it’s a ratings juggernaut.
The only piece of information we’ve ever got regarding viewership was in summer 2020 where Netflix introduced a Black Lives Matter collection where the series reportedly enjoyed a boost of 700% in viewership.
In October 2019, two months after volume 3 dropped on Netflix, it was announced the show would be returning for a fourth season but that it would also be the last. As some dub it, a “recanceling”.
In a statement, Justin Simien who serves as the creator and executive producer said:
“I’m so grateful my little indie-that-could has made it to four seasons at Netflix. 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.”
Where is season 4 of Dear White People in production?
Production on the fourth season was inevitably delayed from its early 2020 start date due to the coronavirus pandemic where the majority of productions were canned to help stop the spread.
It was later in the summer where ProductionWeekly reported that production was due to start on October 13th, 2020 in Los Angeles. Since production restart, it’s had to pause a couple of times (once in November due to an outbreak and a delay in restarting after the Christmas break due to high case numbers in Los Angeles).
Dear White People – Season 4 pic.twitter.com/UaK44UhmiD
— ☾△RAI △☾ (@GreenLeafLover) December 19, 2020
As of January 2021, the series is still filming and is expected to wrap soon.
Returning cast and new cast members for Dear White People season 4
Beyond the core cast expected to return (Logan Browning as Samantha White, Brandon P Bell as Troy Fairbanks, and DeRon Horton as Lionel Higgens for example), only one other cast member has been announced thus far.
One cast member who will not be returning is Jeremy Tardy who played Rashid Bakr due to contract disputes according to the actor. In a thread on Twitter in September 2020, the actor said:
“Unfortunately I will not be joining NETFLIX’s Dear White People for its fourth and final season due to my experience with Lionsgate and their practices of racial discrimination. After being offered to return for several episodes my team was notified that our counter offer would not be considered and that the initial offer was the ‘best and final’.”
In January 2021, it was announced the Queer Eye alum Karamo Brown would be playing a character in the final season although Deadline reports that his character details are being kept under wraps.
Karamo Brown – Picture: Getty Images
Everything else you need to know about Dear White People season 4
- The final season will be in keeping with previous episode counts and will be 10 episodes long.
- Justin Simien’s next project won’t be at Netflix. Instead, he’s been tapped for the Lando Calrissian series for Disney+.
Would you like to see another season of Dear White People? Let us know in the comments below.