I don't know if you've noticed, but Revolutionary-era historical drama is having a moment (if not a movement) right now. However, not all of it is happening in a room packed with celebrities and people willing to drop way too much money on a night of live theatre. There's an AMC drama that brings all of the 18th century intrigue into your living room. Will Turn: Washington's Spies return for Season 4? AMC has not yet renewed the series, but IMO it would be silly if they didn't — not this year, anyway. Update: On July 26, AMC announced that Turn has been renewed for a fourth and final season, as reported by Deadline.
Earlier: While I'm sure that the AMC series does not want the pressure of being compared to the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning musical Hamilton, they have to admit that their subject matter is hot right now. If AMC doesn't ride enthusiasm for Hamilton into the sunset by renewing Turn for Season 4, I would be very surprised.
They've already started to borrow from the specifics of the show — which, I realize, is basically unavoidable in historical fiction. Still, Season 3 finally introduced Alexander Hamilton as a character, to the hopeful delight of all crossover Turn and Hamilton fans. What comes next? The show is subtitled Washington's Spies, so what about everyone's favorite spy on the inside, Hercules Mulligan?! I could understand why John Laurens, Hamilton's friend and anti-slavery crusader, might not fit into the AMC series. Washington is clearly a major player, and the Marquis de Lafayette has shown up twice.
I'm not saying that the entire Schuyler family should get involved or anything. This doesn't need to be a Hamilton takeover/adaptation sans music. Who would want that? However, since another less-known historical figure who appears in the musical, the infamously incompetent General Charles "Whee!" Lee, has appeared on the show, it would be cool to at least see their interpretation of Mulligan.
For most of us, seeing Hamilton at least right now is somewhat of a fever dream due to ticket resale prices, availability, and lottery odds. So besides stalking the cast on social media and furiously listening to the cast recording at home, revolutionary-era books and shows like Turn (which is on Netflix right now if you need to catch up) can give fans somewhat of a fix. If I were AMC, I would capitalize on that and keep the show going as long as possible. To the Revolution!
Images: Antony Platt/AMC; Giphy
