Marcella Season 4 - Will It Ever Happen?

Though "Marcella" once aired on British television network ITV and stars a cast of largely British actors, its DNA is largely Scandinavian. Series creator Hans Rosenfeldt is Swedish by birth, but even beyond that, the series is firmly entrenched in the Nordic noir subgenre. In short, the name refers to a type of crime story in the model of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. Beyond simply featuring crime as the central subject matter, Nordic noir stories generally delve into the dark psychologies of their heroes and villains alike.

Across "Marcella'"s three seasons, the titular Detective Sergeant Marcella Backland (Anna Friel) investigates a number of serial killers, and in the series' most recent season, infiltrates a Northern Irish crime family while undercover with the assumed name Keira May Devlin. Dark moments from Marcella's own past resurface amidst her work trying to put a stop to the series' rogues' gallery of criminals. Despite revelations from her past, she remains a strong lead at the show's center.

"Marcella" season 3 was first released to Netflix, its international distributor, in June 2020 before it began airing on ITV in early 2021. Since the season ends on a cliffhanger, the groundwork is already laid for a season 4. Whether a fourth season of "Marcella" will ever see the light of day, however, has yet to be determined.

As it stands now, "Marcella" season 4 might not ever happen. That may come as a surprise to viewers who are caught up on the series' current three seasons, given that its most recent episode blatantly set up a new chapter for Marcella. However, Friel explained in an interview with Hello Magazine that the series was intended to be a trilogy at its start. That said, the ending of the third part of the trilogy directly contradicts that statement. Seemingly, the series' producers wanted to have their cake and eat it too, completing their planned trilogy while also foreshadowing its continuation.

But according to "Marcella" creator Hans Rosenfeldt, a Season 4 of the series doesn't seem to be in the immediate offing. Rosenfeldt hasn't much entertained the possibility as he isn't sure there's anywhere to go in any theoretical future season. "I haven't even thought about [a fourth season] yet, to be honest," he told Digital Spy in 2021. "Because there is, as I've said, no obvious thread to say, 'Let's start there. That was interesting.'"

And it would be difficult to make "Marcella" without Marcella. When "Marcella" aired its Season 3 finale in the U.K. in March 2021, Friel indicated on Twitter that the series was over — at least for her. "Finale of season 3 tonight after 6 years of her being in my life. Thank you ALL for watching and caring," Friel wrote (via The Sun).

By the end of "Marcella's" third season, Marcella has completed her undercover work with the Maguire crime family in Northern Ireland. In doing so, she absconds with 24 million euros of what was once their money. In the episode's final moments, Marcella and Katie — the infant daughter of Maguire crime family associate Stacey, a fatality of the season finale — leave Northern Ireland on a private plane. Amidst her escape, an unknown caller reveals that he knows her true identity. Meanwhile, an airport employee calls her "Miss Hart," evidence of a new alias.

Season 4 of "Marcella" would most likely pick up with Marcella, likely known to her new associates as Miss Hart, in hers and Katie's new country of residence. Trouble will most likely follow her there in the form of whoever was on the other end of the phone call in the season 3 finale. Fans learning the identity of that caller will ultimately depend upon the series' return for a fourth season.

While Season 4 of "Marcella" remains in limbo, Seasons 1-3 live forever online. All episodes of the series are currently available on Netflix and will likely stay there forever as the streamer distributes it internationally outside of the U.K. 24 episodes reside on the giant, and it's not expected to move streaming services. Luckily if you're looking to own "Marcella," there are options for that as well. 

Amazon and other digital platforms like Vudu offer "Marcella" for purchase either by episode or by season. Prices on digital downloads can vary across different platforms regularly, so it's best to check all options before purchasing to make sure you're getting the best price. You can also purchase hard copies of each season of "Marcella" on Amazon's website.