'The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel' Is Back For Season 4—And I Have Spoilers

• The season 4 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel is finally here!

• Showrunners Amy Sherman-Palladino and her husband, Daniel Palladino, say fans can expect Midge to explore new locations in the new season, and photos emerging from filming back that up.

• The first two episodes are now available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

The season 4 premiere of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has finally arrived, with the first two episodes now available for streaming on Amazon Prime.

The show returns with Rachel Brosnahan along with the rest of the cast from season 3. Fans are also excited to know that new faces such as Gideon Glick will also be joining the hit comedy show.

This season carries high expectations considering The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel has already won an Emmy, three Golden Globes, five Critics’ Choice Awards, two PGA Awards, a WGA prize, and a Peabody. Still, all details that were released before the new season dropped seem promising.

If you haven’t tuned in to season 4 yet and need a season 3 refresher, Midge took America by storm with her comedy routine while on tour with singer Shy Baldwin. Back in their New York home, her ex-husband Joel Maisel (Michael Zegen) took care of their children, Ethan and Esther, while preparing to open up a club. Meanwhile, Midge's parents, the Weissman's, moved in with Midge's ex-in-laws, the Maisels. When Midge realized her jokes about Baldwin (Zachary Levi) didn't translate well, she was unexpectedly fired from the tour.

Here's what fans can expect for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel four (so far):

The new season is now streaming.

Yep—new episodes are officially here. Back in November, Rachel Brosnahan revealed on Instagram that season 4 will drop on "🎙 Feb 18 🎙." Fans in the comments were over the moon about the news, natch.

"Can’t wait!!!!!! ❤️❤️❤️❤️," superfan Katie Couric commented, while another user added, "Yay!! I’m definitely going to have to rewatch the previous seasons to refresh my memory. It’s been wayyyy too long!" (That's your cue, people—you only have a few days left to re-binge!)

What the trailer tells us...

Your first sneak peek at Midge and Susie's season four shenanigans is right here:

So, what can you expect from the new season? Based on the clip, it looks like Midge is really coming into her own. She tells Susie she no longer wants to be an opening act—and that she'll only perform where she can say whatever she wants onstage. "Make me Lenny Bruce," she tells Susie. "Make me a headliner."

There's also a super quick shot of someone (Midge?) attacking a taxi cab with what looks like a small tree—and a scene where Midge gets pulled offstage (oops). Looks like all the drama is back for season four in a major way...

Gideon Glick will be joining the cast.

Gideon Glick is set to have a recurring role this season. Not much has been revealed about his character other than the fact that he's a young magician that will appear in a few arcs.

Previous to his work on The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Glick starred in an off-Broadway production of Little Shop of Horrors as Seymour Krelborn. He also seems to be confirmed for some parts of season 5 as new photos emerged of Glick walking with Rachel Brosnahan, per Daily Mail.

There are new photos from filming on set to give a sneak peek of season four and Milo's role (!!).

Midge, a.k.a. Rachel, was all over New York City with the cameras rolling and vintage cabs to carry her from place to place.

Several snaps reveal hints about Milo and Midge's relationship in the show.

Photos taken on set show Milo’s character presenting Midge with flowers, talking closely on a park bench with a Pomeranian, and holding hands while climbing some stairs in Central Park.

There’s also a little boy playing with the dog, which might mean that Midge’s son Ethan could be responsible for orchestrating a (very) meet-cute between the characters.

Ethan looks a lot older in these shots than in previous seasons, which could indicate a time jump between seasons three and four. Fans have speculated that the show might return post-1966, after the death of Midge’s friend Lenny Bruce, leaving a hole in her heart.

She also explored Coney Island in Brooklyn with the whole fam.

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And, she popped down to the West Village.

Then, over to Washington Square Park.

She appears to have been escorted out of a comedy club. TBD what marvelous mischief she got into there.

Rachel was dressed in more amazing Midge outfits filming around Manhattan on June 23. Her ensembles included a gorgeous white coat that ties at the waist, with her hair perfectly coifed and a floral frock.

Filming in New York started in January 2021.

Star Rachel Brosnahan opened up about what filming the new season was like during a virtual interview on SiriusXM's The Jess Cagle Show via PEOPLE.

"We were supposed to go back in June, and obviously it wasn’t safe to do that then," she said in the December 2020 interview, before adding, "I just actually came from a wig and shoe and hat fitting. Literally just 20 minutes ago, walked in the door."

"So, we are in the process of getting ready to go back hopefully safely in January, and are really, really excited," Rachel continued. "The hats are insane. The hats are out of control. We may have lost our minds with the hats this season."

In fact, those hats are one of the reasons why it took so long for filming to resume, per Deadline. Marvelous Mrs. Maisel requires so many period sets to be built and costumes to be sewn, unlike a contemporary show like Succession, which takes additional time.

The actress also shared a BTS photo on Instagram back in September. "Mask game strong. Hat game stronger. We’re slowly and safely getting back to it but first costume fitting is in the books 🎉 Damn, it feels good to be (almost) back," she captioned her post.

…But with new on-set protocols.

Like every other film production, there were plenty of COVID-19 protocols in place to keep actors and crew safe during the pandemic. To reduce the number of people on set, there will be fewer background actors in scenes. Instead, computer-generated imagery will take their place, according to Deadline. (Yes, they can paint in extras now.)

Rachel shared a few photos on Instagram showing her inside an umbrella-like bubble with what appears to be a HEPA filter to protect herself from particles of SARS-CoV-2. "It looks a little different this year...but we’re back! Working away on @maiseltv Season 4. ✨," she captioned one shot.

Another: "Sunday In The Park With COVID."

Masks would likely mess up her carefully-coiffed period 'do, so the umbrella tent seems to be the next best thing.

Alex Borstein, who plays Midge’s manager Susie, was also seen exiting her trailer in her newsboy costume, wearing a mask.

Expect the whole Maisel cast to return.

Not only will fans see Rachel, Alex, and Michael again, but other beloved characters played by Tony Shalhoub (Abe Weissman), Marin Hinkle (Rose Weissman), Kevin Pollak (Moishe Maisel), Caroline Aaron (Shirley Maisel), and Jane Lynch (Sophie Lennon) are expected to return for season four.

There are multiple photos to prove Jane has been back on set.

As for season three's guest stars, most notably Sterling K. Brown, Gilmore Girls alum Liza Weil, and comedian Wanda Sykes, it's unclear whether they'll be reprising their roles for round four. None have posted on their official social media accounts about the show's renewal, but that doesn't necessarily mean they've exited the Maisel-verse for good.

There are exciting new (familiar) faces joining the cast for season four.

There's more proof of new characters joining Midge on her season four adventures. New photos from the set show none other than Jess himself on what appears to be a series of dates with Midge. Variety confirmed the news after the photos leaked. Previously, Milo worked with creator Amy Sherman Palladino on Gilmore Girls, where he played Rory’s fan-favorite love interest Jess. (Calling all members of #teamjess!)

However, more details about Milo’s role were recently confirmed by the creators during a panel at the Nantucket Film Festival on June 22, 2021, per TV Line.

[He’s playing] someone very handsome,” Sherman-Palladino said.

“You have to see it in context,” Daniel Palladino elaborated, “because it’s actually a very different thing we’re doing with him. We needed someone of his caliber and his handsomeness, so we asked Milo to do it. But you have to see it in the context.”

He's not the only new face or Gilmore Girls alum heading to the set. Kelly Bishop (a.k.a. Emily Gilmore, Rory's grandmother), will appear in Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season four. Her new role will be "edgier" than any from the past, per Vulture. (Those new set photos can't come quick enough!)

Fun fact: It will be Kelly's third project with Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino, following her stint in Stars Hollow and role in Bunheads. Kelly's casting isn't a huge surprise. Sherman-Palladino was considering her way back in 2018. "We love her so much, so yeah, we would love for her to be on the show," she said, per Page Six.

What's more, Midge has been compared to famous comedians Phyllis Diller and Joan Rivers, with some even thinking the character is based on them, she's not (but she is based on a real person). Instead, "she [Midge] lives in a world where there is a Phyllis Diller," says Palladino, meaning fans could meet the fictional version of Phyllis as soon as season four. "There will be a Joan Rivers, but not for a few years," Sherman-Palladino also confirms. (Fingers crossed they make their Maisel debut ASAP!)

And, Emmy-nominated actress Jackie Hoffman and Allison Guinn will also be joining the cast in recurring roles in the fourth season, Deadline confirmed.

Benjamin might come back for season four.

Despite the way Midge and Benjamin left things off in the season three finale (spoiler alert) when Benjamin finally got everything off his chest and demanded answers from Midge about breaking off their engagement in a letter, there's a chance we haven't seen the last of him.

Something is obviously brewing with Rose's matchmaking skills, and though Benjamin shut down her offer the first time, she might get her way (as Rose usually does) and score him a second chance at love with an eligible bachelorette, you know, if he ever decides to speak to the Maisels again.

On Twitter, Levi, who played Benjamin in season 3, was among fans rejoicing for Marvelous Mrs. Maisel season four. Here's hoping.

Midge and Susie will probably have a falling out.

Last season, Midge’s manager Susie gambled away a huge chunk of Midge’s earnings from her tour as jazz singer Shy Baldwin’s opening act. In Season three, Joel finds out about Susie’s gambling problem before Midge does, since Susie asks him to manage Midge’s money. Then, Susie commits insurance fraud by burning down her estranged mother’s house in the Rockaways to get the money back.

Midge doesn’t know about the gambling yet—and she probably won’t be happy when she finds out in season four.

Midge will need to bounce back after being kicked off Shy Baldwin’s tour.

At the end of season three, Shy Baldwin’s manager Reggie (Sterling K. Brown) fired Midge from the tour because he was concerned Midge’s jokes about Shy may have outed him as a gay man in the '60s. It was a hard lesson for Midge, who'd flown through three seasons making jokes (mostly) at her family’s expense—and making a successful comedy career in the process.

"That’s showbiz," Sherman-Palladino said at virtual PaleyFest in August 2020, per Deadline. "Thematically, this was Midge’s lesson in showbiz. That was the theme for the entire season. It was things are not as they seem… in the end, we wanted to leave it with this hard, cold facts, and a bucket of water that says you got to wise up."

Midge goes back on the road.

The show's title character hit Las Vegas, Chicago, Miami, and more in season three. Midge's travels will only continue in season four, according to the show's creators. "Luckily, in a single camera universe and with the way that we can tell stories and build these sets, I think it always feels organic to the show when they're [Midge and Susie] in very, very different locations because that's gonna continue on obviously in this show," Palladino told Women's Health.

But New York City will always be her and Susie's home.

"The Upper West Side will always sort of be home base for Midge Maisel," Palladino said. "Susie will never live anywhere else. It's absolutely impossible," added Sherman-Palladino.

Wherever Midge goes, expect to see a lot of hairstyles.

Rachel also shared there are still going to be plenty of wigs this season.

Co-host of The Jess Cagle Show Julia Cunningham asked if the wigs meant that there will be a time jump, and Rachel replied, "We’ve always had wigs. Wigs have helped us with time jumps in the past."

"Obviously, Midge was blonde—a very poor choice—at some point in college. But our wigs are incredible, and I’m so grateful that we have them, especially a couple of seasons in," the actress added. "I don’t think I’d have hair left on my head if we weren’t using brilliant, beautiful, amazing wigs."

Season four may also address Lenny Bruce's death.

After three seasons, it's clear that Lenny and Midge have a special connection. The last time fans saw the duo, he invited Midge back to his hotel room, and she declined. His last line in the season: "Maybe someday, before I’m dead?" Midge nodded.

The real Lenny Bruce died of a morphine overdose in Los Angeles in 1966, according to Biography. At the time of his death, his girlfriend was comedian Lotus Weinstock, who may have even helped inspire Midge’s character, per The Los Angeles Times. Even though 1966 is a long time from season four, Lenny Bruce’s eventual death has hung over the show from the very beginning.

"The minute you put Lenny Bruce in it, you know where you’re going," Sherman-Palladino told The Hollywood Reporter. "You can’t pretend it’s not gonna happen." She went on to suggest that Lenny may come to represent a cautionary tale for Midge: "I actually think the fact that we know where he’s eventually going to end, it adds to the cautionary tale of ambition and following your dream and the fact that every dream comes with consequences, and it can go great, or it can go off the rails."

But what does season 4 look like so far?

As Caroline Aarons hinted at in a previous interview with Good Housekeeping the time change will play a big role in the characters' lives. Season 4 starts off in 1960 with Midge back in her apartment. The consequences of getting fired from the tour are in full swing as she struggles to make ends meet. As she struggles to get back on her feet, Midge has to find herself again as a performer without the hanging guilt and humiliation that followed her after being fired.

Back in 2019, Aarons told the publication, "The world they knew is going to be a very, very different world. Midge is going to bring that world into this family, and I would imagine it's going to be hard for us. I don't know that for sure, but all the rules are changing, and let's see what that means."

The show's fifth season will be its last.

On Thursday, Amazon announce that the show has been renewed for a fifth and final season. Production is already underway in New York. “This series has meant so much to Prime Video and the effects of its success will be felt long after its final season. I can’t wait for fans and our worldwide Prime Video audience to savor each moment as we embark on the culmination of this groundbreaking and unforgettable series,” said Jennifer Salke, head of Amazon Studios. There's no set time as to when the final season will be released, but stay tuned for updates!

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