Jane the Virgin (season 4)
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The fourth season of '' Jane the Virgin'' originally aired in the United States on
The CW ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...
from October 13, 2017, through April 20, 2018. The season was produced by
CBS Television Studios CBS Studios, Inc. is an American television production company which is a subsidiary of CBS Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global. It was formed on January 17, 2006, by CBS Corporation as CBS Paramount Television, as a renaming of the o ...
, with
Jennie Snyder Urman Jennie Snyder Urman (born June 6, 1975) is an American television producer. She grew up in Rye, New York. Urman is Jewish. Urman has been involved in the production of several television programs including: ''Hope & Faith'', ''Gilmore Girls'', ...
serving as
showrunner A showrunner (or colloquially a helmer) is the top-level executive producer of a television series production who has creative and management authority through combining the responsibilities of employer and, in comedy or dramas, typically also th ...
. The series was renewed for a fourth season on January 8, 2017. Season four stars
Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...
as
Jane Villanueva ''Jane the Virgin'' is an American satirical romantic comedy-drama telenovela . It premiered on The CW on October 13, 2014. The series was developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various ...
,
Andrea Navedo Andrea Navedo is an American actress, singer, and published author. She began her career on the daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' (1995–97) and ''Guiding Light'' (1999-2000), and in later years had several supporting roles on primetime te ...
as Jane's mother Xiomara De La Vega, Ivonne Coll as Jane's grandmother Alba Villanueva, and
Jaime Camil Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama (born 22 July 1973) is a Mexican actor, singer and television personality. He is best known for his roles as Fernando Mendiola in ''La Fea Más Bella'' and Rogelio de la Vega in ''Jane the Virgin'', ...
as Jane's father Rogelio De La Vega, with Justin Baldoni as Jane's lover and babydaddy
Rafael Solano Rafael Solano Sánchez (born 10 April 1931 in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic) is a Dominican pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger, author, and former Dominican ambassador to UNESCO.Yael Grobglas Yael Grobglas ( he, יעל גרובגלס; born ) is a French-Israeli actress, best known for her roles as Petra Solano on The CW's television series ''Jane the Virgin''. Her first major role was in three seasons of the Israeli sci-fi TV series ...
as Rafael's ex-wife and other babymama
Petra Solano ''Jane the Virgin'' is an American satirical romantic comedy-drama telenovela . It premiered on The CW on October 13, 2014. The series was developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various ...
. Elias Janssen is added as a series regular, portraying a recast version of Jane's son Mateo Solano Villanueva.


Production

On January 8, 2017, The CW renewed the series for a fourth season. It was later announced on May 18, 2017 that the series had been moved from its Monday night time-slot to a Friday night time-slot, being paired alongside the third season of ''
Crazy Ex-Girlfriend ''Crazy Ex-Girlfriend'' is an American romantic musical comedy-drama television series that premiered on October 12, 2015, on The CW and ran for four seasons, ending on April 5, 2019. The series was created, written, and directed by Rachel Bloo ...
'', premiering on October 13, 2017. The last seven episodes of the season were paired alongside ''
Dynasty A dynasty is a sequence of rulers from the same family,''Oxford English Dictionary'', "dynasty, ''n''." Oxford University Press (Oxford), 1897. usually in the context of a monarchical system, but sometimes also appearing in republics. A ...
'', which was moved from Wednesday night to Friday night in the middle of the broadcast season. The season also received a reduced episode account, per request of showrunner
Jennie Snyder Urman Jennie Snyder Urman (born June 6, 1975) is an American television producer. She grew up in Rye, New York. Urman is Jewish. Urman has been involved in the production of several television programs including: ''Hope & Faith'', ''Gilmore Girls'', ...
, bringing the season's episode count to a total of 17, making it the shortest season of the series in total. When the promotional poster for the season was first released, it was revealed that the character of Mateo was recast with Elias Janssen due to previous child actor Joseph Sanders being too busy with school to commit to the role. As of the first episode of the season, Janssen was credited with "starring" billing along with the six other series regulars. On September 20, 2017, it was announced that Alex Meneses was set to recur as Katherine, "owner of the Cortes Hotel Conglomerate, who is a possible investor of Rafael ( Justin Baldoni) and Petra's (
Yael Grobglas Yael Grobglas ( he, יעל גרובגלס; born ) is a French-Israeli actress, best known for her roles as Petra Solano on The CW's television series ''Jane the Virgin''. Her first major role was in three seasons of the Israeli sci-fi TV series ...
) hotel". On January 7, 2018, it was announced that
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
joined the cast for a multi-episode role in the back-half of the season, though the details of her role remained kept under wraps until the character's introduction scene was released a day before her debut episode was set to air, revealing that Dawson would be playing Jane Ramos, an attorney hired to defend Petra. The back-half of the season also saw
Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...
in a multi-episode arc as River Fields, Rogelio's (
Jaime Camil Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama (born 22 July 1973) is a Mexican actor, singer and television personality. He is best known for his roles as Fernando Mendiola in ''La Fea Más Bella'' and Rogelio de la Vega in ''Jane the Virgin'', ...
) nemesis and a spoof of the real-life actress. On January 9, 2018, series star
Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...
announced vi
Instagram
that she would be making her directorial debut this season, posting a photo of herself holding a ''Jane the Virgin'' clapperboard with her name next to the director slot, alongside costars Yael Grobglas and Rosario Dawson. Rodriguez's directorial debut was the tenth episode of the season, "Chapter Seventy-Four", which aired on February 9, 2018. The episode was specially selected by showrunner Jennie Snyder-Urman as it featured the characters of Jane (Gina Rodriguez) and Rafael (Justin Baldoni) having sex for the first time. "She said that it would be really great for me to be able to direct something that is so intimate and could be very uncomfortable. It could be very scary to not only shoot, but also to be in that environment...So there were a lot of layers of challenge and then it ended up being so beautiful," Rodriguez recalls of her directing experience. Costar Justin Baldoni also directs this season, taking on the fourteenth episode, "Chapter Seventy-Eight".


Cast and characters


Main

*
Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...
as
Jane Villanueva ''Jane the Virgin'' is an American satirical romantic comedy-drama telenovela . It premiered on The CW on October 13, 2014. The series was developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various ...
*
Andrea Navedo Andrea Navedo is an American actress, singer, and published author. She began her career on the daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' (1995–97) and ''Guiding Light'' (1999-2000), and in later years had several supporting roles on primetime te ...
as Xiomara De La Vega *
Yael Grobglas Yael Grobglas ( he, יעל גרובגלס; born ) is a French-Israeli actress, best known for her roles as Petra Solano on The CW's television series ''Jane the Virgin''. Her first major role was in three seasons of the Israeli sci-fi TV series ...
as
Petra Solano ''Jane the Virgin'' is an American satirical romantic comedy-drama telenovela . It premiered on The CW on October 13, 2014. The series was developed by Jennie Snyder Urman. The following is a list of characters who have appeared over the various ...
/ Anezka Archuletta * Justin Baldoni as
Rafael Solano Rafael Solano Sánchez (born 10 April 1931 in San Felipe de Puerto Plata, in the Dominican Republic) is a Dominican pianist, songwriter, composer, arranger, author, and former Dominican ambassador to UNESCO.Ivonne Coll as Alba Villanueva * Elias Janssen as Mateo Solano Villanueva *
Jaime Camil Jaime Federico Said Camil de Saldanha da Gama (born 22 July 1973) is a Mexican actor, singer and television personality. He is best known for his roles as Fernando Mendiola in ''La Fea Más Bella'' and Rogelio de la Vega in ''Jane the Virgin'', ...
as Rogelio De La Vega


Recurring

* Mia and Ella Allan as Anna and Elsa Solano *
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
as Jane Ramos * Priscilla Barnes as Magda Andel * Shelly Bhalla as Krishna Dhawan *
Justina Machado Justina Milagros Machado (born September 6, 1972) is an American actress, known for her roles as Penelope Alvarez on the Netflix and Pop TV sitcom '' One Day at a Time'', Darci Factor in The CW dramedy ''Jane the Virgin'', Vanessa Diaz on the HBO ...
as Darci Factor * Keller Wortham as Esteban Santiago * Alfonso DiLuca as
Jorge Garcia Jorge Garcia (born April 28, 1973) is an American actor and comedian. He first came to public attention with his performance as Hector Lopez on the television show ''Becker'', but subsequently became best known for his portrayal of Hugo "Hurley ...
* Yara Martinez as Luisa Alver *
Tyler Posey Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
as Adam Alvaro * Bridget Regan as Rose Solano *
Brooke Shields Brooke Christa Shields (born May 31, 1965) is an American actress and model. She was initially a child model and gained critical acclaim at age 12 for her leading role in Louis Malle's film ''Pretty Baby'' (1978). She continued to model into ...
as
River Fields River Fields, incorporated in 1959 as a not-for-profit land trust in Louisville, Kentucky, has become the largest and oldest river conservancy advocacy group along the Ohio River to effectively protect, preserve and enhance the river front's natural ...
* Alex Meneses as Katherine Cortes * Graham Sibley as Anton/Carl * Francisco San Martin as Fabian Regalo del Cielo


Guest

* Johnny Messner as Chuck Chesser *
Diane Guerrero Diane Guerrero (born July 21, 1986) is an American actress. She is known for her roles as inmate Maritza Ramos on the Netflix series ''Orange Is the New Black'' and Lina on ''Jane the Virgin''. Guerrero grew up in Boston and remained there afte ...
as Lina Santillan * Isabel Allende as herself * Molly Hagan as Patricia Cordero *
Iyanla Vanzant Iyanla Vanzant (born Rhonda Eva Harris; September 13, 1953) is an American inspirational speaker, lawyer, New Thought spiritual teacher, author, life coach, and television personality. She is known primarily for her books, her eponymous talk sho ...
as herself *
Julie Chen Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...
as herself *
Eve Eve (; ; ar, حَوَّاء, Ḥawwāʾ; el, Εὕα, Heúa; la, Eva, Heva; Syriac: romanized: ) is a figure in the Book of Genesis in the Hebrew Bible. According to the origin story, "Creation myths are symbolic stories describing how the ...
as herself *
Sara Gilbert Sara Gilbert (born Sara Rebecca Abeles; January 29, 1975) is an American actress best known for her role as Darlene Conner on the ABC sitcom ''Roseanne'' (1988–1997; 2018), for which she received two Primetime Emmy Award nominations, and its ...
as herself *
Sharon Osbourne Sharon Rachel Osbourne (née Levy, later Arden; born 9 October 1952) is a British-American television personality, music manager and author. She is married to heavy metal singer-songwriter Ozzy Osbourne and came to prominence while appearing ...
as herself * Sheryl Underwood as herself *
Eva Longoria Eva Jacqueline Longoria Bastón ( Longoria; March 15, 1975) is an American actress, producer, and director. After a number of guest roles on several television series, she was recognized for her portrayal of Isabella Braña on the CBS daytime ...
as herself *
Melanie Mayron Melanie Joy Mayron is an American actress and director of film and television. Mayron is best known for her role as photographer Melissa Steadman on the ABC drama ''thirtysomething'' for which she won the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Sup ...
as Marlene Donaldson *
Adam Rodriguez Adam Michael Rodriguez (born April 2, 1975)"Adam Rodriguez" (2006). ''Contemporary Theatre, Film and Television''. Vol. 71. Detroit: Gale. Accessed via ''Biography in Context'' database, August 7, 2016. is an American actor, screenwriter and ...
as Jonathan Chavez *Brian Dare as
Luca The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the most recent population from which all organisms now living on Earth share common descent—the most recent common ancestor of all current life on Earth. This includes all cellular organisms; th ...
* Alano Miller as Roman Zazo * Mario Lopez as himself *
Amy Brenneman Amy Frederica Brenneman (born June 22, 1964) is an American actress and producer. She worked extensively in television, coming to prominence as Detective Janice Licalsi in the ABC police drama series ''NYPD Blue'' (1993–1994). Brenneman nex ...
as Donna *
Brett Dier Brett Jordan Dier (; born February 14, 1990) is a Canadian actor. He is best known for his role as Michael Cordero Jr. on ''Jane the Virgin''. He is also known for his recurring roles on the Canadian TV shows ''Bomb Girls'' and '' The L.A. Complex ...
as Michael Cordero, Jr.


Episodes


Reception


Ratings


Critical response

The fourth season was received well by critics, notable praise being geared towards its storylines involving topics such as sexuality, immigration, and cancer, as well as its jaw-dropping season finale cliffhanger. Critics also praised the performances of series stars,
Andrea Navedo Andrea Navedo is an American actress, singer, and published author. She began her career on the daytime soap operas ''One Life to Live'' (1995–97) and ''Guiding Light'' (1999-2000), and in later years had several supporting roles on primetime te ...
and
Yael Grobglas Yael Grobglas ( he, יעל גרובגלס; born ) is a French-Israeli actress, best known for her roles as Petra Solano on The CW's television series ''Jane the Virgin''. Her first major role was in three seasons of the Israeli sci-fi TV series ...
, as well as recurring guest stars,
Tyler Posey Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
and
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
. Critics first praised the fifth episode of the season in which Jane's (
Gina Rodriguez Gina Alexis Rodriguez-LoCicero (born July 30, 1984) is an American actress. She is known for her leading role as Jane Villanueva in The CW satirical romantic dramedy series ''Jane the Virgin'' (2014–2019), for which she received a Golden Glob ...
) boyfriend Adam (
Tyler Posey Tyler may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tyler (name), an English name; with lists of people with the surname or given name * Tyler, the Creator (born 1991), American rap artist and producer * John Tyler, 10th president of the United ...
) was revealed to be bisexual. "Fortunately, ''Jane The Virgin'' handles Adam's storyline sans ignorant jokes, unchecked offensive comments, and "funny" hysteria, even if Jane's initial response displayed her own misunderstanding of the sexual orientation. It's worth noting too that no one else aside from Jane — from Xiomara to Lina to Danny — batted an eye upon hearing about Adam's sexuality. This kind of bisexual representation can help make the world a safer space for everyone, which means that this episode of ''Jane The Virgin'' is definitely one to celebrate," Alexis Reliford, a critic for ''Bustle'' said of the story, also mentioning that the show uses Jane's initial discomfort as a way to have a meaningful conversation regarding the topic of bisexuality, debunking some common misconceptions and stereotypes. As noted by Alanna Bennett of ''Buzzfeed News'', it later becomes apparent that this one-off story was just setting some representational ground work for an even bigger storyline in the back-half of the season, featuring Petra (Yael Grobglas) developing feelings for her female lawyer, Jane Ramos (
Rosario Dawson Rosario Isabel Dawson (born May 9, 1979) is an American actress. She made her feature-film debut in the 1995 independent drama ''Kids''. Her subsequent film roles include '' He Got Game'' (1998), ''Josie and the Pussycats'' (2001), ''Men in Bl ...
). Bennett comments on the idea of pairing Petra up with Dawson's "Jane" being a nod to the portion of the fanbase who rooted for Petra to get together with Rodriguez's "Jane". She notes that, despite only being five episodes into their storyline, "J.R. and Petra’s relationship is already electric — and confirmed to be romantic. Fanfiction empires have been built from a lot less. In a TV landscape that seems to be making way for more and more bi characters, it’s worth paying attention to what ''Jane the Virgin'' is doing here with Petra. It's not a whole new character — it's the same Petra audiences have been responding to for the past four years. But there is a shift happening in her, an enticing self-discovery. She's opening up." ''TVLine'' awarded Andrea Navedo as "Performer of the Week" for her role in the fourteenth episode of the season, "Chapter Seventy-Eight", praising the actress for her portrayal of Xiomara post-discovery that she has breast cancer and left with the decision of whether or not to have a double mastectomy. "Navedo brought newfound vulnerability to the role. Normally tall and proud, the actress became thoughtfully muted and somehow seemed smaller, the fear and uncertainty weighing down Xo's vibrant personality. Even a mother-daughter spa day proved little distraction as Xo's eyes filled with anxiety at the thought of losing both her breasts." The storyline involving Xiomara's cancer as well as Navedo's performance of the character received additional praise in the sixteenth episode of the season, "Chapter Eighty". Critics acknowledge the show's ability to balance out Xiomara's cancer arc with some of the more lighthearted storylines. "I don't want to say, "Okay, but any show could do a good cancer story". That's absolutely not true! But while everything about Xo’s current story is effective and important, I think the most impressive thing has been watching the show figure out how to tell Xo’s story while also maintaining the balance of humor and drama and sweetness that keeps the show itself."


References

{{Jane the Virgin 2017 American television seasons 2018 American television seasons