Grantchester - Season 4
Those complaints aside, credit where it is due. Grantchester had a massive task to pull off, forced to change its leading men midstride a six-hour set of episodes as the season barreled along. There were a few places where the shifts were clunky, and the supporting character journeys were rough. But when it comes to the engine driving the Grantchester train, the relationship between Inspector and Vicar, the transition was impeccably smooth every step of the way. The show is back to backgammon and pints between its leading men. Bring on Season 5.
Grantchester - Season 4
However, Grantchester significantly changed when leading man James Norton left after three seasons. Although the series continued without him (it aired its seventh season in spring 2022), that meant finding a way out for its main character. Why did James Norton leave Grantchester -- and how was he replaced?
Tom Brittney, who played Lt. Jeremy Foster on Outlander, replaced Norton beginning with the third episode of Season 4. Brittney joined the cast as Reverend William Davenport and won over many Grantchester fans. PBS shared a video on Instagram in 2020 of Brittney introducing the fifth season. Most comments praised Brittney's acting chops, with one person saying, "I miss Sidney, but the new vicar is doing a fine job." It's unlikely that Norton would return to reprise his role as Sidney, considering that Brittney has been leading the show for nearly four seasons. But perhaps the character will cross the Atlantic again someday.
Well, apparently there will be a Season 5 of Grantchester, a safe but superbly made series about a local parish priest in the fictionalized version of a real rural community in the southeast of England, just south of Cambridge. This season, number 4, is set in 1956, continuing its gentle ride of a progressive Church of England clergyman, Sydney Chambers (James Norton), who works with a more hide-bound, older police detective, Geordie Keating (Robson Green), in solving crimes in the quiet area.
UPDATE: As of June 2018, we can announce that Grantchester is returning for a fourth season, and that Norton will be leaving the show. Outlander alum Tom Brittney will be joining the cast as the new dishy vicar in town, and Norton will make his final onscreen appearance on Grantchester Season 4. PBS also let it slip during a podcast that Grantchester Season 4 will be debuting in Summer 2019.
James Norton, who plays the charismatic, jazz-loving clergyman Sidney Chambers, will make his final appearance during the fourth season, which begins Sunday, July 14, at 8 p.m. on Arizona PBS.
The mystery series wrapped up its third season two years ago. Viewers were in limbo waiting for word of a renewal. The network finally announced in 2018 that the show would return, but that was just part of the story.
Actor James Norton, who plays hard-drinking priest Sidney, will exit for good during the fourth season, which premieres Sunday, July 14. His departure will make way for a new cleric to team up with police inspector Geordie Keating, played with world-weary charm by PBS favorite Robson Green. 041b061a72