Younger Season 4: New Pairings, a Trip to Ireland, and More Teasers from the ATX Television Festival

Younger Season 4 premieres in just a little over a week, and it sounds like we have plenty to look forward to.

During the ATX Television Festival, creator Darren Star, writer and co-producer Alison Brown, and cast members Miriam Shor, Nico Tortorella, Molly Bernard, and Peter Hermann gathered for a panel to discuss the upcoming season.

Fans were treated first to a special screening of the Younger Season 4 premiere, which includes at least one shocking twist you won’t see coming. (Seriously. Prepare yourselves.)

Here are a few other things we learned from the panel.

1. Expect new pairings between characters

Now that Kelsey knows the truth about Liza, she and Josh have an opportunity to bond over how they’d both been hurt by her.

“It was time for Liza to tell Kelsey, and part of it was because the way she had realized how badly she’d hurt Josh and that the only way she could find any redemption was to be truthful to Kelsey at that moment,” said creator Darren Star.

“I think both of our hearts have really been broken by Liza, you know? So it makes sense that these two characters find each other, because they have nobody else that they can talk to about this,” Nico Tortorella added.

2. We’ll learn more about Kelsey

The heartbreak that Kelsey experiences means diving a little deeper into her character during Younger Season 4. “She’s a strong girl, and I think you find that more about her character this season,” Star confirmed. “She has a lot of strength and a lot of toughness.”

Kelsey and Liza’s friendship is tested now that Kelsey knows the truth, and that changed the way things felt on set. “It was also really uncomfortable on set when Hillary and Sutton were at odds,” Peter Hermann noted. “You’re like the kid when you’re parents are fighting.”

3. Diana’s jewelry is very intentional

Fashion plays such an interesting role on Younger, and for Diana, it’s all about the big jewelry.

“It’s like a feast of jewelry that they bring in,” Miriam Shor said. “I mean, I’m a schlump in real life. Whatever’s on the floor.”

“I think it also speaks to the power and dimension of the character you made,” Hermann added. “I think it says something about Diana’s strength that that size jewelry is the right size.”

“That was literally armor,” Shor laughed, referring to a large necklace she wears on the Season 4 premiere.

4. Things get complicated for Charles this season

Younger Season 4 will explore every character in a bit more depth, and Charles is no exception.

“It just gets very, very complicated,” Hermann began.

“I think the thing that’s beautiful about it is that it is born out of something that is already planted within the season. It’s not just a writers’ room saying, ‘ah, you know what would be fun to throw into the mix, let’s throw this new thing into the sauce,’ it’s something that grows out of the life that we know Charles to have. And it gets a bit complicated, and beautifully so.”

5. The same is true for Lauren

Molly Bernard shared that there will be “some unexpected twists and turns for Lauren,” this season.

“She explores her sexuality, and she’s still a wild and crazy loyal friend, but there’s a great moment towards the end of the season where she needs Kelsey in a way that is so sweet and it’s just very dear. I’m very excited for you all to see it.”

6. Josh tries to move on

Nico Tortorella also talked about the struggles Josh faces, and how he’ll do what he can to try moving on. “I think he starts to navigate what his relationships with other people look like, and just how he can be the best partner that he can be to somebody else,” he said.

7. More happens “of consequence” this season

Speaking of exploring each character in more depth, Darren Star confirmed that Younger Season 4 will be more complex. “I feel like more happens of consequence in Season 4 than almost all of the seasons of Younger,” he said. “There’s a lot of growth and surprises that are in store for all of the characters.”

Star also praised the cast for their talent and hard work. “You guys, the cast is so terrific,” he added. “Every time we write something, they make is so much better than we hoped.”

8. Ideas from Season 1

As the show moves into its fourth season, there’s a chance to use ideas the writers have had from early on. “We used, this season, an idea that we came up with in Season 1,” Alison Brown confirmed.

9. The meaning of “truth” is a central theme

From a comment about “alternative facts” and a new character who wants to re-define the definition of truth to the story Younger has been telling all along, this season is clearly dealing with “truth” as a timely topic.

“We just hit the zeitgeist in terms of, what is truth? What’s the importance of truth, and what’s the value of truth?” Star said. “What this entire country is thinking about all the time is what the show’s about. So that’s I feel like we wanted to kind of point that out in a way.”

10. From Cuba to Montauk

The Season 4 premiere includes a scene focused on Ernest Hemingway, which was originally supposed to involve Cuba.

“We were actually going to do a Hemingway story in Cuba last year because of Hemingway’s presence there, and that didn’t happen because Zika happened in Cuba,” Hermann said. “We ended up in Montauk. And that’s another thing that got tabled from Season 3 and moved to Season 4.”

11. Heading to Ireland

Will there be any other trips this season? Absolutely. “We’re going to Ireland,” Brown noted with enthusiasm. As for any other details on that, we’ll have to wait and see.

Younger returns Wednesday, June 28th at 10/9c to TV Land.

Be sure to check out all of our coverage of the ATX Television Festival right here (there is still more to come).

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