Season four of The Man in the High Castle premieres on Friday, November 15, on Amazon Prime. The trailer for the show’s highly anticipated final season was released today.
The Man in the High Castle is based on Philip K Dick’s book, titled the same, published in 1962. The book dives into an alternate universe where the Allied Powers lost World War II, and the world was split between Germany and Japan. With behind the screen talent such as Frank Spotnitz (The X-Files) and Ridley Scott (Alien), it’s no surprise that the show has been a critical success.
An advertising campaign for the first season did cause controversy that put the show in hot water before it even came out. New York City commuters found an entire subway car covered in Nazi and Imperial Japanese imagery. The Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) released this statement after heavy criticism of the ad, “The MTA is a government agency and can’t accept or reject ads based on how we feel about them; we have to follow the standards approved by our board. Please note they’re commercial ads.” After more complaints, this time from the Mayor and Governor, the MTA pulled the ad.
When The Man in the High Castle first premiered, it was Amazons “most-watched since the original series development program began.” The show earned spot on Rolling Stone’s list of the “40 Best Science Fiction Television Shows of all Time.”
Producers of the show gave this synopsis for their last season: “The Resistance becomes a full-blown rebellion, driven by Juliana Crain’s (Alexa Davalos) visions of a better world. A new Black insurgent movement emerges to fight the forces of Nazism and imperialism. As empires teeter, Chief Inspector Takeshi Kido (Joel De La Fuente) will find himself torn between his duty to his country and the bonds of family. Meanwhile, Reichsmarschall John Smith (Rufus Sewell) will be drawn towards the portal the Nazis have built to another universe, and the tantalizing possibility of stepping through a gateway to the path not taken.”