Quick LinksWas the Evil Series Finale Rushed? Evil Left Some Doors Open for a Fifth Season
Warning: Spoilers Ahead for Evil After four seasons, the supernatural crime drama Evil came to a close this past August with a series finale that left fans wanting more. Often praised for its creative uniqueness among television shows, Evil deftly combined an exploration of faith and possession with the inherent evil that exists in the choices of man. The series’ cancelation was announced in February, with Paramount+ announcing that the creators would be given just four additional episodes to wrap up the series. While fans may be disappointed with the strings left untied, this uncertain representation of finality is a rough though worthwhile ending to the series that speaks to the lingering question of what creates evil.

Starring Mike Colter (Luke Cage), Katja Herbers (Westworld), and Aasif Mandvi (A Series of Unfortunate Events), Evil follows a group of demon assessors hired by the Catholic Church to investigate the nature of heinous crimes to identify if the crime is demonic or human in origin. At a time when demonic possessions have overwhelmed the church, its leaders call upon a skeptical psychologist, Kristin Bouchard (Herbers), a priest-in-training, David (Colter), and an agnostic technical contractor, Ben (Mandvi), to investigate the causes of possible supernatural events.

Evil is a Paramount+ original that focuses on a priest, clinical psychologist, and a contractor who investigate strange events such as demonic possession as they trace the origins of evil. Created by Michelle King and Robert King, the series tackles the line between science and religion while the team tries to determine if there are any scientific explanations for the supernatural events they experience.Release Date September 26, 2019 Main Genre Horror Cast Katja Herbers , Mike Colter , Aasif Mandvi , Michael Emerson , Maddy Crocco , Brooklyn Shuck , Skylar Gray , Dalya Knapp , Christine Lahti , Kurt Fuller , Marti Matulis , Andrea Martin , Patrick Brammall , Boris McGiver , Sohina Sidhu , Wallace Shawn , Peter Scolari , Brian D’Arcy James , Molly Brown , Fedor Steer , Ashley Edner , Danny Burstein , Chukwudi Iwuji , Euan Morton , Li Jun Li , Kristen Connolly , Brian Stokes Mitchell , Darren Pettie , Clark Johnson , Nicole Shalhoub Seasons 4 Network CBS , Paramount Expand

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Was the Evil Series Finale Rushed?

In its four-season run, Evil has maintained tight control over the wildly unconventional narrative. The writers of the series fantastically approach goat-headed demons, pig monsters, and the birth of an anti-Christ with stylish aplomb. However, the final episode of the series seems to lose a bit of the typical finesse that viewers have come to enjoy. This is understandable given the truncated four-episode addition to the fourth season that the creators were left with to resolve the pretty hefty plot lines for which the show is known.

In the series finale, the trio of Assessors prepares to face off with the 60 demonic families. Unknown to them, the ‘meeting’ they expect is just a ploy from Leland (Michael Emerson), who uses it as a trap to wipe out the church’s security team. Instead of in-person meetings, the demons have all gone virtual. Through the apps of the tech company DF Global, the demons manage to corrupt the minds of its users and spread evil throughout humanity. The lack of confrontation may seem a let-down to viewers.

Related What the Puzzle Piece Glitches in Paramount+’s Evil Mean Discover the hidden puzzle piece glitches in Evil and how to decode their meaning ahead of Season 4.

While certainly seeming an uninspired ending, with the time crunch that the show was given to resolve the overarching plight of the series, it is an effective and biting social commentary. It is one that arguably is more effective than perhaps any other physical confrontation that the show could provide. The writers’ offering of the demonic infiltration of the human mind through the ‘possession’ of technology is a fear-inducing call out and warning to our increasingly tech-obsessed world. The show has never shied away from approaching social messages (racism and celebrity culture being among them). However, the absence of true resolution with the 60, along with the final projection of ‘evil’ existing in the technological world, lobs a powerful open danger to exist with the audience.

Evil Left Some Doors Open for a Fifth Season

While it does not seem likely, the ending of Evil leaves open prospects for the series to explore in a possible fifth season. While the church ultimately ends the assessor program and ships David and Kristen to Italy to work for the Vatican, Ben stays stateside with his own lucrative career. Series-wide terror Leland gets trapped in a monastery, and baby Anti-Christ Timothy is raised by Kristin in the ‘Hope My Baby Isn’t Evil’ plan. And while this is all satisfying, none of the characters have final endings. Instead, their fates are written off on little Post-It note adventures that the writers can pick up and pull together at any time. This must surely be a hope to its fans. Whether the series returns or not, the idea that their beloved characters are flourishing (or, in the case of Leland, suffering a slow and maddening decline) must offer a reassuring ‘meanwhile’ for its fans.

4:55 Related The Cast of Evil Discuss Their Final Season, the Bonds They’ve Formed, and What They’ll Miss Most Mike Colter, Katja Herbers, and Aasif Mandvi spoke with MovieWeb ahead of Evil’s final season, sharing what fans can expect from its swan song.

Fans of Evil have called for the series’ resurrection. A petition was started by viewers of the show to request Paramount continue the series. Fan and famed author Stephen King called the series (via Deadline) “smart, thought-provoking” and described the chemistry of the three leads as “joyful.” In a public statement on X, King joined many Evil fans by publicly calling for CBS/Paramount to renew the series for a fifth season. This sentiment is echoed by the creators. From the writers and actors to the showrunners themselves, the creative forces behind the hit show have openly implored the streamer to continue the story.

Evil was created by the creative team of Robert and Michelle King. The duo also produced the hit CBS series The Good Wife as well as its Paramount+ follow-up The Good Fight. During its airing, Evil received consistent and positive responses from both critics and fans and ranked among the top 10 original shows for streaming. A smart, witty, and imaginative journey into what creates the nature of man, Evil provided a thought-provoking and hopeful ending that served its fans well, no matter its deficiencies. Evil is available to stream on Paramount+ and Netflix.