Will There Be a 'Hotel Portofino' Season 4? The Show's Heartbreaking Cliffhanger Has Fans Concerned

When Hotel Portofino premiered on PBS in the summer of 2022, the series had already been greenlit for a second season; by the time Season 2 arrived stateside in the fall of 2023, a third season was not only greenlit, filming had already been completed for some time. Since production studio EagleEye Drama was so far ahead, in both cases, the delay was in finding a spot in the PBS schedule, a matter of when, and not if, the following season would arrive. However, things are a bit different in 2024. Will there be a Hotel Portofino Season 4? How can there not be when the Hotel Portofino Season 3 finale will change everything?

In our interviews with the cast and creators of Hotel Portofino, everyone spoke of Season 4 as if it were a done deal. But when asked directly, it turned out that wasn't the case. The cast and producers say they want the show to return for a fourth season and will work towards making that happen. However, the unfortunate reality of how TV is made has caused a delay. 

When actors are hired for a new TV series that may or may not succeed, they are technically only signed for one season. However, if and when that show gets renewed for a second season, that triggers a (previously agreed upon) stipulation for the actor to return to the series. These stipulations are usually made three seasons at a time; it's why Netflix tends to cancel shows at the three-season mark since making a Season 4 will require contract renegotiations, usually with substantial raises all around. It's why both Dan Stevens and Jessica Brown Finlay's characters died in Downton Abbey Season 3; they wouldn't sign on to return once their three years were up.

Warning: Spoilers for Hotel Portofino's Season 3 Finale follow.

That's precisely what Hotel Portofino is now dealing with. As writer Matt Baker put it, "We would love to make Season 4... if we can get everyone to return."

The good news for viewers is that, though those negotiations take time, EagleEye Drama has had a few months since the series ended in the U.K. (The series aired overseas in April/May 2024.) While Oliver Dench might have wanted to go the Dan Stevens (or James Norton) route, the show just conveniently killed off his character in the Season 3 finale, which solves any issues that might have occurred.

Moreover, the death of Lucian upends the entire apple cart of Hotel Portofino's relationships. As McElhone said in our conversation with her, "It could go any which way after this, which I think is [the show's] strength." The series gives the impression Lucian's shooting was an accident,* but if the series was going to kill off anyone, he was the obvious choice. The writers chose deliberately and well. 

(*An eagle-eyed reader thinks Bella was also hit in the stomach, but I was pretty sure Lucian took that bullet instead?)

Lucian passing is a bit like hitting the reset button on the show. In Season 1, Bella and Cecil tried to keep their marriage afloat as they grieved the loss of a child, and over the three seasons, they failed. Lucian puts the still-not-divorced couple's relationship back to square one. His death puts Constance back where she was, a single mother working as a maid. Perhaps most intriguingly, it makes Alice the Ainsworth heir, which is worth something now that her mother has launched a successful business.

With the show continuing to be a summertime hit for PBS, many people will be eager to see Season 4, not just viewers at home but also those at the networks on which it airs. With EagleEye currently working on its next original series, a police procedural set in Italy, having new seasons of the already-established Hotel Portofino lead into it will benefit everyone. However, it remains to be seen if these negotiations will be completed in time for PBS to announce the show's return for Season 4 in the days after the finale airs in the U.S. or if fans will be stuck in limbo awaiting confirmation of another season commencing production.

Until then, Hotel Portofino Seasons 1 through 3 will be streaming on PBS Passport for members to indulge in.