Netflix confirms Top Boy season 4 return

Top Boy will return for a fourth season, with filming for the Netflix drama beginning this spring

Top Boy is coming back, the show’s Twitter account announced yesterday. Principal cast members Ashley Walters, Kane Robinson, Michael Ward, and Little Simz are all set to reprise their roles in the Netflix crime drama.

The third season, which premiered on Netflix in September 2019, showed us Walters’ protagonist Dushane return to London after a self-imposed exile in Jamaica. Intent on regaining his throne as a drug kingpin in the fictional Summerhouse estate, he comes into a conflict with a new crew and its ruthless leader, Jamie (played by Ward).

The show premiered in 2011 on Channel 4 and went on hiatus in 2013 after its second season. Netflix announced the revival in 2017, largely on the back of public interest from the rapper Drake.

Originally tapped to star in the new incarnation, Drake has taken the role of executive producer alongside Jamal Henderson, Maverick Carter, and business partner Adel Nur (AKA Future the Prince). Original creator and writer Ronan Bennett returned to the new series, writing all but two episodes of the third season. An Instagram post by Drake shows that Bennett is credited as a writer for the first episode on the next season, titled “Killing No Murder”.

“WE BAAAAAAAACK @topboynetflix,” Drake wrote to his followers. It is unknown if he will have an acting role in the upcoming season.

Featuring authentic performances from both experienced and first-time actors, Top Boy has been praised for its portrayal of east London’s impoverished housing estates.

“The show’s about London… it’s about our life, our culture,” says Ashley. He says Drake respected the original series’ direction, and “didn’t want to change anything creatively… it was just about remaking the show that he loves so much.”

Top Boy received acclaim for its third season, garnering 90% and 95% from critics and audiences on Rotten Tomatoes, respectively.