Servant is one of the best shows on Apple TV Plus. The terrifying psychological thriller charting the story of a Philadelphia couple trying to cope with the loss of their young baby. A replacement therapy doll seemingly comes to live and havoc overtakes the home and indeed the neighborhood.
Boasting a formidable director and heavy hitters Rupert Grint and Nell Tiger Free, Servant is one of the few Apple TV Plus shows to transcend the platform and gain widespread acclaim, with its final season netting an impressive 92% on Rotten Tomatoes. Now, it's back for season 4; here's everything we know.
If you're up to speed, and your just looking for the first episode, Servant Season Four is streaming on Apple TV+ now.
Servant Season 4 (opens in new tab)
Servant Season 4: Release Date
Servant Season 4 is coming to Apple TV Plus on Friday, January 13, 2023. The first episode will debut then, with a new episode weekly through March 17, 2023. While Apple has previously released multiple episodes of some of its shows to whet the appetite, Servant Season 4 is an exclusively single-episode weekly drip-feed to keep you on the edge of your seats.
Servant Season 4: Cast
Servant Season 4 will see all four members of the show's main cast reprise their roles. With Lauren Ambrose returning as Dorothy Turner, Toby Kebbell as her Husband Sean, Rupert Grint (Harry Potter, but you knew that already) as Julian Pearce, and Nell Tiger Free (Game of Thrones) as Leanne Grayson.
Servant Season 4: The Premise
If you're new to Servant and haven't watched any of its previous three seasons, let me explain a little bit about the premise of the show. Servant is a drama/thriller series verging on horror. It follows the tragic story of a Philidelphia couple, the Turners, who lose their young child at 13 weeks. Stricken by grief, the family is recommended a doll by an unlicensed therapist as a means of object therapy, which miraculously brings Dorothy out of her psychotic breakdown. Convinced the doll is real, Dorothy hires a creepy 18-year-old nanny called Leanne to care for the child.
Then, terrible things start to happen. I mean really horrible things; this show is absolutely wild. If that sounds like something for you, head over to Apple TV Plus to catch up now, and don't read on, as there are spoilers from the first three seasons below.
Servant Season 4: The story so far
Spoiler alert. I mean it; there are spoilers about seasons 1, 2, and 3 of Servant beyond this point. You have been warned.
Season 1
Season 1 starts to get weird from the first episode. The Turners acquire a doll to help Dorothy, and by the end of episode one, her husband Sean hears the sound of a baby crying, and the doll has come to life. Sean tries to work out whose baby this is and where it has come from and investigates their creepy new babysitter Leanne, bringing Dorothy's brother Julian into the equation simultaneously. They uncover the harrowing scene of Leanne's apparent childhood home and the graves of the entire Grayson family, including Leanne.
Sean begins to spy on Leanne, while flashbacks reveal the events around Dorothy's pregnancy. After a strange encounter with George, a man claiming to be Leanne's Uncle, Dorothy arranges to have the child, Jericho, baptized. Dorothy's therapist Natalie tries to intervene, concerned for Dorothy's well-being. Julian kills a dog with a bottle of wine. A tense encounter between Julian and Leanne occurs after Jericho goes missing, replaced by a doll, only for him to reappear later that night; Julian starts to reveal to Leanne what he has discovered as part of their investigation.
In another flashback, we finally learn what happened to the real Jericho after his birth, and Leanne takes the baby from Dorothy. In the final episode, a birthday party is held for Jericho, and Leanne's Uncle reappears. We are introduced to Leanne's Aunt May, and a violent religious cult, the Church of Lesser Saints.
Season 2
Season 2 picks up where season 1 left off as Dorothy calls the police to report the disappearance of Jericho, as the police try to contend with the knowledge that Dorothy's baby had passed away. Cult leader May Markham is pictured in the house, and we see Sean slowly take on the same devotion to the child as his wife.
As Sean and Dorothy confront the reality that Jericho may be dead, a surprise package is left at the door, possibly left by brother Julian. Dorothy continues investigating the cult. The private investigator Roscoe, returns to the story. Dorothy returns to work, and we learn that Roscoe what may have happened to Roscoe. Sean and Dorothy continue to look for Leanne, even creating a fake pizza delivery service to gain entry to a house where they think Leanne is hiding.
Dorothy turns on Sean, Tobe, and Julian, poisoning Leanne and ordering Tobe to bring her back to the house. Leanne is taken hostage, and Dorothy is driven to wild behavior at 2 am each night as she tries to get answers from her. Leanne makes a break for freedom, and Sean's taste and feelings begin to return.
Another strange package and a ransom note arrive at the house, and Sean and Dorothy try to gather cash to pay off the cult. They meet Leanne's uncle George and return to the house; George offers Sean and Dorothy a way out if they return Leanne, who is a rebellious member of the cult. A shooting nearby is blamed on the Turner's disobedience, and the police show up and question Dorothy about the family's link to Leanne. A tape shows up at the house that Leanne is supposed to watch, and Dorothy meets the private investigator. Leanne and Julian hook up. Julian has a close encounter with death after overdosing at Christmas; a hooded woman turns up at the door, Josephine.
She meets with Leanne and tries to convince her to leave, promising Dorothy the truth. Leanne and Josephine have an angry confrontation that leads to violence, with Dorothy coming to Leanne's rescue. Leanne murders Josephine, and Jericho suddenly reappears at the house.
Season 3
Season 3 begins with Leanne settling into "normal life" three months later and the Turner's planning a trip. Leanne is caught at home during a burglary and discovers Josephine's body in the wall while hiding. In episode 2, an awkward encounter with a series of guests at a party sees Leanne pull a knife on one, things take a weird turn when a baby tries to crawl into the fire, and a swarm of wasps fills the room. Julian tries to take DNA from Jericho and then Leanne in a desperate bid to prove the baby does not belong to Dorothy. During a chaotic gathering at the house, Tobe's new girlfriend loses a finger in an unfortunate accident, and more homeless people begin to gather outside. Leanne starts to come out of her shell as Dorothy holds a block party for the street, but things turn ugly quickly when two cult members confront Leanne. We think Leanne has been attacked, returning home covered in blood. In the aftermath of the attack, Dorothy finds the CCTV footage.
Meanwhile, Leanne has an awkward encounter with a church minister befriended by Sean. A flashback for Leanne reveals the truth of the attack; she witnessed members of the cult being murdered. Dorothy confronts Julian over his relationship with Leanne. Dorothy discovers Leanne's drawing, including disturbing depictions of some previous events that have taken place in the story. Dorothy begins to hone in on Leanne's disturbing presence and tries to get rid of her; an intense argument follows over Leanne's fate between Sean and Dorothy and later Julian. Leanne decides to leave voluntarily, and Jericho immediately returns to his state as a lifeless doll. After a frantic search, Leanne is found outside, and when she returns to the house, Jericho returns, no longer a doll; the Turner family decides Leanne must stay with them.
Dorothy's colleague Isabelle starts investigating Leanne as tensions remain between mother and nanny. Isabelle and Leanne talk some more before Leanne leaves the house to visit the homeless camp, seemingly becoming the group's leader. Isabelle confronts Dorothy over "what she did," and we find out that Isabelle has been investigating Dorothy and has found the death record of Jericho. Isabelle threatens to expose Dorothy, which could endanger Jericho. Leanne comforts Dorothy for doing "what she needed to do" to bring Jericho back, but at dinner that night, Dorothy tells her Father she needs his help to have Leanne institutionalized. A shocking text reveals a live shooting where Isabelle is on the scene reporting, filling in for a colleague. Leanne says that Isabelle "deserves to be there" when suddenly a stray bullet hits Isabelle in the head live on TV.
In the aftermath of Isabelle's death, Dorothy grows ever more suspicious of Leanne, rooting through her belongings and questioning her about her scars. She presses her father to help her get Leanne to a mental institute before suggesting that Leanne and Dorothy visit a therapist together. But the plan backfires as the Doctor expresses concern for Dorothy's wellbeing until Leanne intervenes to defend her. Roscoe investigates the disappearance of a homeless community member as Dorothy's plan starts to unfold. Uncle George makes a return and warns that the Turner house is beginning to decay and fall apart before the final dramatic finale. (Really, really spoilers now) Dorothy tries to flee during the night with Jericho, but Leanne tries to stop her from leaving. Sean and Julian appear before Dorothy's fateful fall through the banister and to the floor of the house.
Servant Season 4: What's next
Apple says season four will bring "the final chapter of the Turner story to an epic and emotional conclusion" as Leanne's war with the cult heightens, threatening Spruce Street and the whole city of Philadelphia. Apple also says that the Turner family will confront the increasing threat of Leanne and "the certain reality that Dorothy is waking up. As the house continues to crumble, the series will finally answer the questions: who is Leanne Grayson, and who is the child in their home?
The only other thing we have to go on is the official teaser trailer.
A terrifying and thrilling finale season awaits.
Stream Servant on Apple TV+ now. (opens in new tab)
