Upstart Crow - Season 4eps1 Page

While officially concluded after three seasons and a 2020 Christmas special (titled Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow ), fans often refer to the final special or the stage play as a "Season 4" entry.

King James I has demanded a new play, but he has one specific, baffling requirement: it must be "shorter than a sneeze" because his royal gout makes sitting for long periods unbearable. Will is mid-existential crisis. He has written a sprawling epic about a Danish prince with "too many feelings," but the King wants a punchy comedy about a man who loses his hat in a gale. Upstart Crow - Season 4Eps1

Robert Greene’s ghost (metaphorically) haunts Will as he discovers a pamphlet titled The Even More Upstart Crow , written by a young up-and-comer named "John Fletcher" who is shamelessly using Will’s own "puffling pants" jokes. While officially concluded after three seasons and a

Back in Stratford, Anne is unimpressed by Will’s "literary immortality" and sends a letter demanding he return home because the roof is leaking and the "great barn" has been infested by particularly literate owls. He has written a sprawling epic about a

Kate, ever the voice of reason and 21st-century logic trapped in the 17th century, suggests that Will simply take all the "boring, long bits" out of his existing plays and mash them together.

"Will," she says, leaning against the doorframe with a look of weary exasperation, "just have the prince fall in love with the hat. It’s concise, it’s dramatic, and most importantly, the King can be back in his chambers for his evening sack-posset in twenty minutes."

The King is delighted—not by the play, but by the fact that it was so short he didn't even have time to finish his drumstick. Will earns a single gold coin and a stern warning never to mention "Denmark" again.