The Trailer for 'Dickinson' Season 3 Promises a Poetic Ending to Emily's Story

Hailee Steinfeld in "Dickinson" (Photo: AppleTV+)

Courtesy of Apple

Apple TV+'s buzzy period comedy-drama Dickinson has always been a show that took big risks, narratively speaking. After all, this is a series that not only reimagines one of America's most famous poets as a moody millennial who frequently takes carriage rides with a literal, stylishly dressed incarnation of Death, and features everything from a rap soundtrack to giant, anthropomorphic bees. It's truly unlike anything else on television right now, in all the best ways. 

The series' ten-episode third (and final) season will arrive this Fall, and if the trailer is any indication of what to expect, Dickinson will go out as it lived, swinging for the fences.

Season 3 will see our young Emily Dickinson (Hailee Steinfeld) struggling to find meaning in her work, as the Civil War rages across America and simple things like words feel more useless than ever in the wake of its resultant horrors. After all, what good can poetry really do, in the face of so much death and suffering? As she looks to find a way to use her words to heal the divides around her, Emily attempts to ground herself in her relationship with Sue (Ella Hunt) and connection to her family, even as conflicts of many stripes seem to surround them all. 

Watch the trailer for yourselves below.

The trailer also features our first glimpse of Billy Eichner as writer Walt Whitman, as well as the return of Zosia Mamet as fan-favorite Louisa May Alcott. We don't get a look at Ziwe as Sojourner Truth, but the tone and subject matter of this trailer indicate her appearance will probably be a substantial one. 

But the most intriguing part of the clip is the brief appearance of fellow female writing great Sylvia Plath (guest star Chloe Fineman) who somehow confirms that Emily's poems do stand the test of time. (How is this happening? No idea. But is it really any weirder than Emily having regular tete-a-tete's with Death?)

“In the future, you’re actually famous,” Lavinia (Anna Baryshnikov) tells her sister.  “Emily Dickinson was the original sad girl,” Plath interjects. (And, I mean, she's not wrong.)

The official synopsis describes a poet - and a Dickinson clan - divided.

In the third season, Emily Dickinson's most productive time as an artist falls amid the raging American Civil War and an equally fierce battle that divides her own family. As Emily tries to heal the divides around her, she wonders if art can help keep hope alive and whether the future can be better than the past.

The first three episodes of Dickinson's final season will arrive on Apple TV+ on Friday, November 5, with weekly installments thereafter until the series finale drops on Christmas Eve. Seasons 1 and 2 are currently streaming on AppleTV+. 


Lacy Baugher

Lacy's love of British TV is embarrassingly extensive, but primarily centers around evangelizing all things Doctor Who, and watching as many period dramas as possible.

Digital media type by day, she also has a fairly useless degree in British medieval literature, and dearly loves to talk about dream poetry, liminality, and the medieval religious vision. (Sadly, that opportunity presents itself very infrequently.) York apologist, Ninth Doctor enthusiast, and unabashed Ravenclaw. Say hi on Threads or Blue Sky at @LacyMB. 

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