What Does James Norton's 'McMafia' Mean for 'Grantchester'?

Actpr James Norton's newest starring turn is in the BBC/AMC production McMafia. The show debuted to solid reviews, so what could this mean for the future of Grantchester?

Semiyon Kleiman: These wars are fought in the boardrooms, not on the streets.

Last summer, when Grantchester's third season came to an end on PBS, we did a bit of digging to see if Season 4 had been greenlit and what we could tell viewers about it, as we do at the end of all popular ongoing series. Instead, what we turned up was a rather startling interview with James Runcie, the writer of the original Grantchester novels. Despite Season 3 taking viewers to the edge of what was possible for the character, in the finale they had turned back to the status quo — either unwilling or unnerved by the possibility of ridding themselves of Sidney Chambers and the popular leading man who plays him. Runcie seemed to regret the decision, complaining that Norton had "gotten too popular" and was "too hot" for the show, suggesting he felt the actor was not appreciative enough of the series and the opportunity its success gave him.