Revolutionary history has had a major resurgence in pop culture of late, but it's time to say goodbye to a cult favorite. Alas, Season 4 is the final season of Turn: Washington's Spies. The AMC series about the Culper Ring starring Jamie Bell, Burn Gorman, Kevin McNally, and Heather Lind will air its final episode on Saturday, Aug. 12.
Unlike some shows that are cancelled far too soon, Turn gets to end on its own terms. And, because the show knew it was ending, hopefully fans will get the closure they desire. Fittingly, the series is ending with the Battle of Yorktown, which ended the Revolutionary War — so it's an finale in all sorts of ways.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, creator Craig Silverstein, who is also responsible for genre shows including Nikita and Terra Nova, said that Season 4 was initially pitched as "The End" of the series. He hoped for a longer season, but AMC stuck with the traditional 10 episodes. Possibly because of that, the finale will include some flash-forwards. In an interview with TV Insider, Silverstein said the series finale will reveal “the fate of all the characters, most of which you really don’t know about. All but a few [characters] are real, and their fates are historically accurate.”
Even though the Broadway musical and phenomenon Hamilton has shed light on 18th century figures like Hercules Mulligan and John Laurens, who aren't in most standard history books, Turn features even more real names from America's past that most of us wouldn't otherwise recognize — like Jaime Bell's character Abraham Woodhull, the real leader of the Culper Ring. Even though fans have technically known how Turn would end since Season 1 (because, history), there is still opportunity for surprise if you haven't already done the research and spoiled yourself.
Maybe one day the series will be rebooted, revived, or spun off into a series about the War of 1812. It's sad that the show is ending, but who knows what the future will hold? Revivals are hot and history is having a moment. But, until that happens, if it happens, at least Turn: Washington's Spies got to tell the story it wanted to tell.
