By Zach Johnson
More Good Trouble is never a bad thing.
Freeform’s acclaimed drama series, which follows the residents of Downtown Los Angeles’ The Coterie as they juggle careers, love, and friendship, resumes its fourth season tonight at 10 p.m. ET/PT. The summer premiere, “What I Wouldn’t Give for Love,” picks up immediately after the spring finale, with Davia (Emma Hunton) mustering the courage to tell Dennis (Josh Pence) how she feels; Malika (Zuri Adele) grappling with Angelica (Yasmine Aker) seeing other people; Alice (Sherry Cola) hiring a new manager; Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) and the FCGs celebrating the launch of their new app; and Luca (Booboo Stewart) considering whether to accept Davia’s housing offer. That’s just scratching the surface, considering everything going on with Joaquin (Bryan Craig), Evan (T.J. Linnard), Isabella (Priscilla Quintana), and Gael (Tommy Martinez). So, before the episode airs, Joanna Johnson—the co-creator, executive producer, and showrunner of Good Trouble—teases what’s in store for tonight and later this season!
D23: What were your goals for Season 4B? Which stories were you most excited to tell?
Joanna Johnson (JJ): Our goals were to move every character and relationship forward to a satisfying conclusion and cliffhanger! I was excited to learn more about Joaquin’s sister (Maiara Walsh) and what the hell is going on at the farm she’s living at; seeing Dennis explore a new relationship and how that might affect Davia and their star-crossed dynamic; and seeing Davia get back to teaching, albeit not in the classroom, and possibly exploring a new relationship as well. After a beautifully acted story about hate against Asians, I’m excited to see Alice work to further her career and explore her own issues around sex in a mostly lighthearted and fun way. For Malika, I’m excited to see her get closer to her dream of opening a women’s center and also advocating for the unhoused and questioning whether going into politics from activism was the right decision, as well as her continued relationship with Angelica and exploring polyamory and what that means for them. And, of course, I’m very excited to see Isabella’s pregnancy progress and her relationship with Gael evolve. With Mariana, I’m excited to see how success looks for Bulk Beauty and the Fight Club Girls (FCGs) and her sleuthing with Joaquin, among other things, while Evan is still in the picture with unresolved feelings between them.
D23: Fans were shocked when Callie took a job in Washington, D.C.—as was Mariana! Is there any chance Maia Mitchell will reprise her role by the end of the fourth season?
JJ: We would love for Maia to come back, and the door will always be open; you’ll just have to tune in and see!
D23: Speaking of Mariana, she’s still flirting with Evan post-breakup, even though she’s developed a crush on her housemate, Joaquin. How does she navigate the two men?
JJ: We love a good love triangle on Good Trouble and this one will heat up near the end of the season.
D23: What are the pros and cons of Mariana being with Evan? What about with Joaquin?
JJ: Evan and Mariana have a rich history and a really adorable chemistry. He loves her and she can count on him, whereas Joaquin is a wild card. We don’t know who he is yet or how trustworthy he is. But he’s got that sexy bad boy thing going on, for sure!
D23: What can you tease about Joaquin’s search for his sister, Jenna?
JJ: It continues with lots of twists and turns and really delivers in the season finale.
D23: What’s in store for Malika and Angelica… and Malika and Dyonte? In the midseason trailer, Angelica tells Malika that “loving you is starting to hurt,” which seems ominous.
JJ: Malika and Dyonte are over, so does that mean Angelica and Malika are exclusive? Angelica isn’t polyamorous, so the two of them will need to navigate this question.
D23: Isabella is weeks away from having a baby. Are she and Gael ready to be parents?
JJ: That’s the big question, which becomes more precarious as she gets closer to giving birth.
D23: What’s stopping Davia and Dennis from giving their relationship another shot?
JJ: Fear. And the fact that they just can’t get on the same page at the same time. But pretty soon, it’s going to be now or never!
D23: We’ve seen Davia struggle with her confidence recently. How is she doing now?
JJ: Like all of us, in our struggle for confidence, it can be two steps forward, once step back. But Davia has come a long way and is believing in herself more than ever.
D23: Speaking of Davia, will Luca accept her offer to house him?
JJ: We all love Luca! And he would be a great addition to the Coterie. But it’s hard to say yes to something that seems too good to be true, especially after having lived on the streets for more than a decade and being disappointed so many times. Can he trust this is for real?
D23: Where do things stand between Alice and Sumi (Kara Wang)?
JJ: Alice and Sumi have a complicated history but keep getting more and more entwined. So, we’ll see some fun shenanigans between these two this season.
D23: What other aspects of Season 4B are you most excited for fans to see?
JJ: We learn a little more about Kelly (Anastasia Leddick) this season. We have a wedding, a funeral, and a birth… and a potential murder? So, it’s action-packed!
Watch new episodes of Good Trouble every Wednesday at 10 p.m. ET/PT on Freeform, and the next day on Hulu. All four seasons of Good Trouble are streaming on Hulu.
