The hit Disney Channel animated series Big City Greens is officially returning for a fourth season on Saturday, September 23, 2023 at 8PM ET. The new season will include the show's 100th episode, which is a major landmark for any animated series, but especially for a Disney Channel series with few ever making it quite that far.
While the overall premise of the show follows 10-year-old Cricket Green and his family on their adventures after moving to the big city – appropriately named Big City – the fourth season actually sees them settling into a new kind of normal. Last season, the family moved back to the farm, but now Cricket's mom Nancy will stay behind while the rest of them head on back to Big City.
"Season four is pure insanity," says Chris Houghton, Big City Greens co-creator and executive producer. "Tilly becomes a commercial jingle-writer, Cricket tries stand-up comedy, Bill loses his mind like six times, and Gramma dabbles in minimalism. The fact that we have such a fun arena to play in when it comes to these characters is not lost on us or our crew. Even though we’ve told so many stories with these characters, this season feels fresher than ever."
You can check out the new key art for Big City Greens season 4 below:
Guest stars for the new season include the likes of Grammy Award-winning singer Michael Bolton, June Diane Raphael, Tom Green, NHL player Brad Marchand, esteemed character actress Margo Martindale, podcaster Justin McElroy, Tim Meadows, Dean Norris, Ms. Pat, Tim Robinson, Paul Scheer, Amy Sedaris, and comedian Trevor Wallace.
"In addition to having an incredible voice, we knew that Michael Bolton has a goofy sense of humor after seeing his work with The Lonely Island and in 'Michael Bolton's Big, Sexy Valentine's Day Special,'" says Shane Houghton, Big City Greens co-creator and executive producer. "He was interested in voicing the character of Rick Razzle in 'Jingled,' but had a few ideas on the character’s design and his arc in the episode. I loved hearing that he had a comedic take on the character and even though it was late in production, the Big City Greens crew moved mountains to incorporate all of Michael’s ideas and the episode is way funnier because of it. My favorite bit when directing Michael was when he had to hold a single note for as long as he could and he held it for like five minutes. That man has some pipes!"
The episodes airing on September 23 – 'Truck Stopped / Jingled' – have "Tilly and Cricket wrestle with indecision at a truck stop between Big City and the country" in the former, while the latter sees Tilly becoming a Big City jingle writer and rising through the ranks. In addition to premiering on Disney Channel, episodes will also be added to Disney Plus on October 25, 2023.
"There are some very funny and silly episodes in this season," adds Shane, "like 'Handshaken' where country folks act like western gunslingers, but assert their power through firm handshakes. There are also a few emotional episodes that reach out and give your heart a good squeeze – 'Family Tree' is one that makes me tear up every time I watch a cut of it. And biggest of all, Chip Whistler is back! This season may have more action, adventure, and thrills than any previous season! And here's a couple rapid-fire teases you’ll see in season four: Gloria hires a new café employee, Vasquez goes to therapy, and the kids meet a long lost family member."
Still on the horizon is the previously announced Big City Greens movie musical. While the Houghtons didn't have much to say about it right now, it sounds as if they will very soon.
"We've been purposefully hush-hush about the whole thing because we're still a ways out from its release," says Chris. "But it's been a project that’s very near and dear to our hearts and we’re all giving it everything we've got. We really want the movie to be a celebration of the series, take it up five notches, and tell a big story we could never pull off as an episode."
While you wait for Big City Greens' latest season to make its way to streaming, you can always check out some of what we consider to be the best shows on Disney Plus to watch right now.
