'Jack Ryan' Season 4: What to Expect

Strap in for Jack Ryan's Final Ride

After nearly three seasons of Jack Ryan, based on the Tom Clancy books, is being released on Amazon Prime, it has been confirmed that the fourth season will be released just around the Fourth of July this year. After waiting nearly a year and a half for the previous two seasons, the release of this season will be significantly shorter, and that isn't the only change being made to the release schedule of the show.

Unlike the previous three seasons of Jack Ryan, which were released in one glorious block ready to be binged, the four seasons will be released on Amazon Prime in a few waves. The first two episodes will debut on June 30, with two more episodes released on July 7 and the last two episodes being released on July 14. This will make up a grand total of six episodes, which is two fewer than season three's eight episodes.

All of these details and a few very short scenes appeared in a sneak peek released by Amazon Prime Video, linked below.

The full trailer for Jack Ryan Season 4 was released on Prime Video's YouTube channel on June 2, 2023. The new trailer gives us our best look yet at the final episodes of the popular Prime Video series and also introduces fans to the new character played by Michael Peña, who is rumored to star in his own spinoff series.

Many friendly faces will be making their return for Season 4, both in and out of the screen. John Krasinski will return as the titular character Jack Ryan and as an executive producer. Wendell Pierce will return as James Greer, Michael Kelly will return as Mike November, and Abbie Cornish will be returning as Cathy Mueller. This return is notable because Cathy has been away for the last two seasons, and while in the books, she becomes Jack Ryan's love interest.

It has also been reported that Mena Massoud will be making his return as Tarek Kasser and Al Sapienza will be returning as Secretary of Defense Marcus Trent. While both of these actors do have previous roles in the series, they haven't been officially announced but both of them could have a part in finalizing the direction that Jack Ryan will take moving forward.

Related:Jack Ryan's Season 3 Finale Comes Full Circle With 'The Hunt For Red October'

Those aren't the only big names associated with the project. In fact, many of the executive producers are returning to work on the series. Chief among them is Tom Clancy, the author of the source material the TV series is based upon. Alongside Clancy, Krasinski, and Kelly, the series will also have Allyson Seeger, Andrew Form, Brad Fuller, Michael Bay, David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Matt Thunell, Vaun Wilmott, Mace Neufeld, and Carlton Cuse, as reported by Variety.

This may seem like a lot of producers, and part of the reason behind this is the sheer level of production quality. It also stems from the fact that the series is coming from three studios, which include Amazon Studios, Paramount Television Studios, and Skydance Television.

Jack Ryan Season 3 saw the former marine on the run all across Europe trying to prevent world war three. While this did lead to a massive manhunt trying to prove that Ryan was a traitor, all ended well for him and evidently, he even managed to snag a promotion out of the jaws of defeat.

The official synopsis says this moving forward:

"The fourth and final season of Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan finds the titular character on his most dangerous mission yet: facing an enemy both foreign and domestic. As the new CIA Acting Deputy Director, Jack Ryan is tasked with unearthing internal corruption, and in doing so, uncovers a series of suspicious black ops that could expose the vulnerability of the country. As Jack and the team investigate how deep the corruption runs, he discovers a far-worse reality — the convergence of a drug cartel with a terrorist organization — ultimately revealing a conspiracy much closer to home and testing our hero's belief in the system he has always fought to protect."

For those looking for a connection to one of your favorite books from the Jack Ryan series, you may well remember that none of the previous seasons follow the previously established canon closely, and this season is no different. With that said, we do know that Michael Peña is joining the cast of Jack Ryan Season 4 as Domingo 'Ding' Chavez. Chavez is a character from the Rainbow Six franchise of Tom Clancy's universe and this could well be a set-up for things to come.

Back in Season 4 of Jack Ryan, Showrunner Vaun Wilmott said:

"Without giving you any spoilers, he takes a different role in season 4 that we haven't seen before, [one] that allows us to explore another aspect of Jack Ryan. Season 4 is another exciting ride - very international, with different characters, new villains, and it allows us to play with Jack, Greer, Mike, and everybody in it, in new exciting way."

Clearly, this fourth season will challenge Ryan in a number of ways, and with the possibility of more romance at home, it would seem the stakes are higher than ever.

Fans of the series might be disappointed to learn that this is scheduled to be the show's last season. Never fear, however, as this may not be John Krasinski's last chance to portray the character as several spin-offs seem likely as the fourth season winds down its truncated season.

The first option for a spin-off would be based around Domingo 'Ding' Chavez and the Rainbow Six stories that were the basis for seven books. Alternatively, Michael B. Jordan played John Clark in Without Remorse which could very well have a connection to either Jack Ryan Season 4 or the upcoming Rainbow Six-inspired spinoff.

Ethan Arbuckle is a freelance writer for Collider. Currently, he is pursuing his master's degree in Communication at Abilene Christain University. He is happily married and soon will be adding a new member to his family. When he isn't studying or writing he is a nerd at heart who loves all things Star Wars, Star Trek, Marvel and can occasionally make room for DC.