Rita, season 4, begins August 21st in Denmark. We can expect it on Netflix US within a few weeks of it airing in Denmark. I heard from the series creator Christian Torpe with news about the storyline for season 4.

Mille Dinesen plays Rita, a free-thinking teacher. At the end of season 3, she was fired from her teaching job. She finds a new teaching job in season 4, but the new job carries some emotional baggage from Rita’s past.

Christian explains, “In season 4, Rita goes back to teach at the school where she was a student herself – and from there, the season follows a dual storyline: 45 year old Rita as a teacher and 15 year old Rita as a student becoming the Rita we know.”

Tessa Hoder plays young Rita. As you can see from the press photo at the top and the candid behind the scenes photo Christian Torpe provided, Tessa is a perfect look-alike for Mille. Tessa Hoder has the facial expression and the body language down.

In an interview with Christian Torpe, he described Rita as angry, deeply flawed, and self-destructive. Her sarcasm and her flaws are what make her so lovable to me! Now we will see her formative years. The series has always managed to include deeply powerful themes into its storylines.

There’s a lot Christian didn’t reveal about the new season. What do I want to see in this dual storyline? I’m interested in her relationship with her mother, because what we saw of it in season 1 was contentious. I’m curious about her early experiences with love and sex. I know it’s silly, but I’d love to know why she is so attached to plaid shirts. She has a whole closet full of plaid shirts. She’s a great teacher – empathetic and creative. What was she like as a student? Most of all, I want to see what the push into self-reflection does to the adult Rita. Does she deal with some of her demons? I love who she is as an adult, I don’t want her to tone it down too much.

Rita, season 4, is a  co-production between TV2 Denmark and Netflix. The first 3 seasons are streaming now on Netflix US. If you haven’t seen this excellent series, I suggest you get busy and catch up on it so you’ll be ready for season 4.