After a lot of speculation on the lifespan of USA’s critical hit Mr. Robot, it looks like we finally have confirmation that the upcoming fourth season of the show will be its last. The thriller starring Rami Malek and Christian Slater follows a group of hackers in their quest to eliminate the country’s debt records through a cyber attack on a major corporation known as E-Corp. The show has garnered high praise since its beginning in 2015; the series won a Golden Globe for best drama and a supporting actor win for Slater in 2016, as well as a best actor Emmy win for Malek in 2016.
It’s sad to see the fantastic drama from Sam Esmail come to an end, but it isn’t too surprising. Esmail has repeatedly stated that he has an end-game for the series in mind “since day one”, suggesting that he never anticipated the show to continue for several seasons.
He tells The Hollywood Reporter:
When I first created the world of Mr. Robot, I thought it would be a niche television series with a small, cult following. Over the past three years, it has become so much more, and I am continually humbled by the show’s recognition and by the amazing cast and crew that work tirelessly to help bring my vision to life…Since day one, I’ve been building toward one conclusion — and in breaking the next season of Mr. Robot, I have decided that conclusion is finally here. Everyone on the creative team, including the amazing people at USA and UCP, didn’t want to say goodbye, but we ultimately have too much respect for Elliot’s journey to extend past its inevitable ending. Therefore, season four will serve as the final chapter of the Mr. Robot story. To fans of the show: thank you for the past three years, and I can’t wait to share this exciting final season with you.
However, there is a silver lining to this recent news. USA has upped the ordered number of episodes from 8 to 12, giving the series a bit more time to reach its conclusion. Shooting will begin in Winter of 2019, meaning the premiere of season 4 will be over a year after the conclusion of season 3. So if you’ve never seen the show, you’ll have plenty of time to catch up between now and the release of season 4. Mr. Robot is certainly one of the best shows currently airing on traditional TV, and while news of its conclusion is bittersweet, it’s always better to go out on your own terms.
