Last June, "Bates Motel" got renewed for a fourth and fifth season as the A&E thriller continued to draw in viewers with its storyline and superb performances from the cast.
The show, which is a prequel to the film "Psycho," shows how Norman Bates (Freddie Highmore) loses his sanity through his teenage years as he takes on the persona of his mother, Norma (Vera Farmiga). When the series returns next year, Norman will be turning more and more into Norma, believing that he is his own mother.
The season 3 finale saw Norma committing a grisly crime, which will likely lead to even more murders in the upcoming season. In the finale, Bradley (Nicola Peltz) tried to seduce Norman to take him away from Norma, but when Norman slipped into Norma's personality, Bradley ended up dead after Norma bashed her head in against some rocks.
Executive producer Kerry Ehrin told Entertainment Weekly that after the events of the finale, Norman is "lost" now as he goes in and out of a fictional reality in his head. The producer said that being Norma is what Norman does to cope when he feels overwhelmed.
"In many ways, 'Mother' is that for Norman. It's somebody that he can call on when he feels out of control," said Ehrin, adding that being Norma is comforting to him even when she does something scary.
Freddie Highmore told EW that the Norman Bates that fans saw at the end of season 3 is closer to the Norman Bates of "Psycho" than the character that was set up at the beginning of "Bates Motel," so it's possible that he will be more comfortable being Norma as he goes through day to day life in season 4.
The upcoming season will feature new faces as Damon Gupton has booked a recurring role as Dr. Gregg Edwards, a resident doctor at Pineview Mental Institution. Deadline describes the character as someone who "walks a fine line between professional curiosity and personal investment in his patients' lives."
Jaime Ray Newman is also joining the series as Rebecca Hamilton, an old girlfriend of Alex Romero (Nestor Carbonell), and the character is expected to shake things up between Alex and Norma Bates. Production is underway for the new season as according to the show's official Facebook page on Dec. 17, "The new season is being filmed now."
"Bates Motel" season 4 premieres on March 28, 2016 on A&E.
