‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Season 4: Patton Oswalt Returns and Rachel Bloom Demos the New Final Season Theme Song
A musical show with dancing and singing set in West Covina, Calif., may not be the most obvious fit Comic-Con, but one thing “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” shares with the more genre-friendly shows is a rabid fan base. Therefore, star Rachel Bloom and co-creator Aline Brosh McKenna took to the dais in San Diego Thursday night to regale its fans about the show and tease details of its upcoming fourth and final season.
Cast member Michael McMillan, who plays Rebecca’s co-worker Tim, got a temporary promotion as moderator of the panel, which he called, “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend: The Final Curtain Call,” in honor of the last act of the series. The self-proclaimed “garden-variety white man” kicked the session off by introducing the gag reel for the third season. Then Brosh McKenna gave a shout-out to fans in the audience who had cosplayed as characters from the show, including Broom Darryl and Rebecca as the “Love Kernels” cactus.
The critically acclaimed series had been planned as a four-act story from the very start, and despite some unexpected detours along the way, Brosh McKenna insisted, “The very end, the last scene, has remained the same. Generally, directionally we knew what every chapter of the four was going to be.”
Although the panel tried to keep spoilers to a minimum, a few tidbits were dropped here and there. Here’s what’s coming for Season 4:
A Bunch of Happiness
In the most recent season finale, Rebecca Bunch (Bloom) decided to not enter a plea of insanity for an attempted second-degree murder charge, despite surviving a suicide attempt and being diagnosed with borderline personality disorder (BPD). This was a major step for Rebecca by rejecting the “crazy” label and taking responsibility for her actions.
Bloom said, “I think her challenge is now putting together the pieces… the lessons that she’s learned and putting it into practice. How do I marry the internal and the external? The show is about inner happiness.”
Bloom also writes her first-ever episode on her own this season and said she found the process “nerve-wracking.”
Patton Oswalt Is Back
If you’ve been hankering for the return of a certain creepy security guard, well, you’re in luck. Brosh McKenna announced, “In this season, Patton Oswalt is coming back and he’s singing a song.”
Oswalt showing off his singing chops will be a big leap for his character who was only briefly seen in a tag at the end of an episode last year. The actor and “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” superfan had tweeted out his support for the show, and thus Castleman (Oswalt) was born. In his brief but memorable appearance, the security guard Castleman had caught Paula (Donna Lynne Champlin) climbing out of a grave she had just robbed (long story) and blackmailed her into going on a date with him to the aquarium. How the character returns and what the song entails remains to be seen… and heard.
Read More: ‘Crazy Ex-Girlfriend’ Boss on Rebecca’s Fateful Decision, the Time Jump, and the Show’s End Game
“Cell Block Tango,” Sort Of
With Rebecca landing in jail at the end of last season, a song set behind bars has to happen, right?
“Oh, you have no idea. A lot of people have requested ‘Cell Block Tango,'” she said, referring to the song that takes place in prison in “Chicago.” “This is the one time we kind of took [the request] into accont. This is relevant in a way that we are excited for you to see.”
New Theme Song: Meet Rebecca
Each season of the show had introduced a new theme song reflecting something about a current point in Rebecca’s life. Bloom walked the Comic-Con audience through her concept for the new theme song by half-singing, half-talking through the action. Take a look:
.@Racheldoesstuff gives a sneak peek at the Season 4 theme! #SDCC2018 #CrazyExGirlfriend pic.twitter.com/uk0J63J3jv
— Keisha Hatchett (@Keishamaze) July 20, 2018
“It’s super anticlimactic when you go through the stage direction,” she noted.
Long Live “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”
Although this is the final season, Brosh McKenna reminded fans that it would be a meaty one. With only 42 episodes under their belt, the final 18 episodes of Season 4 will constitute one-third of the total episodes when the series is finally done. That’s a significant chunk of storytelling left for Rebecca Bunch.
That said, Rebecca’s world won’t end completely once “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” makes its final curtain call on The CW. Brosh McKenna said they would consider a play version of the show, and Bloom noted that the current live show will continue to tour, and some songs may continue the journey of the characters.
“Crazy Ex-Girlfriend” will return for its fourth and final season on Oct. 12 on The CW.
