The Sinner Canceled At USA Network, Will End With Season 4 Finale

"The Sinner," the mystery series that features Bill Pullman as a very troubled detective with a great beard, is coming to an end. The ongoing fourth season will be the show's last, as network USA has decided to pull the plug. That's probably for the best at this point, because while Pullman remains a strong presence on the show, "The Sinner" has mostly run out of steam. Pullman plays Harry Ambrose, a detective who is constantly getting mixed up in disturbing murder mysteries that have unexpected solutions. The first season felt like a self-contained story since it wrapped everything up with a neat little bow. However, to keep the show going, "The Sinner" simply had Pullman's character investigate a new mystery each season. The first season was adapted from the book by Petra Hammesfahr, while the subsequent seasons forged their own paths. 

Variety is reporting that the currently-airing season 4 of "The Sinner" will be the show's last, with the series finale arriving on December 1, 2021. The show features Bill Pullman as a troubled detective who keeps getting involved with mysterious murders where nothing is as it seems. The first two seasons of the show were pretty darn good, but season 3 left me cold. So cold, in fact, that I haven't even bothered to watch season 4 yet. In other words, I'm not too choked up about the show ending, although I will miss Pullman's memorable performance. 

The first season, adapted from the novel by Petra Hammesfahr, focused on Cora, played by Jessica Biel. Cora is a seemingly normal woman with a family, and then, one day, she brutally murders a man on a public beach in front of multiple witnesses. Cora has no real explanation as to why she committed such a violent act, and this intrigues Detective Harry Ambrose (Pullman). While everyone else is ready to send Cora away to prison for life, Harry digs deeper into the case to get answers. And he finds them, thus concluding the story.

This meant that to keep the show going, "The Sinner" had Harry return to investigate new crimes. Season 2 had the detective looking into a case that involved a child who allegedly murdered his parents. That case lead Harry to a cult-like community led by a mysterious woman, played by the always-great Carrie Coon. Season 3 involved Harry trying to figure out whether or not a teacher (Matt Bomer) murdered his old college roommate (Chris Messina). 

As I mentioned above, I haven't seen season 4 yet, but here's a synopsis per Variety: 

In Season 4, still reeling from the trauma of a previous case a year ago, the now-retired Harry Ambrose (Bill Pullman) travels to Hanover Island in northern Maine for a recuperative getaway with his partner, Sonya (Jessica Hecht). When an unexpected tragedy occurs involving the daughter of a prominent island family, Ambrose is recruited to help the investigation, only to be thrown into a mystery of mounting paranoia that will turn this sleepy tourist island, and Ambrose's life, upside down.