| Adventure Time | |
|---|---|
| Season 4 | |
 DVD cover | |
| Starring | |
| No. of episodes | 26 |
| Release | |
| Original network | Cartoon Network |
| Original release | April 2 – October 22, 2012 |
| Season chronology | |
The fourth season of Adventure Time, an American animated television series created by Pendleton Ward, premiered on Cartoon Network on April 2, 2012 and concluded on October 22, 2012, and was produced by Frederator Studios and Cartoon Network Studios. The season follows the adventures of Finn, a human boy, and his best friend and adoptive brother Jake, a dog with magical powers to change shape and size at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo, where they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, Marceline the Vampire Queen, Lumpy Space Princess, BMO, and Flame Princess.
During the production of the season Ward and the series' crew sought to over come what they called the "season four blues" by writing more interesting and different stories than what had previously aired. The season was storyboarded and written by Cole Sanchez, Rebecca Sugar, Tom Herpich, Skyler Page, Ako Castuera, Jesse Moynihan, Bert Youn, Somvilay Xayaphone, and Steve Wolfhard.
The first episode of the season, "Hot to the Touch" was watched by 2.655 million viewers; this marked a slight decrease in viewers watching Cartoon Network when compared to the previous season's debut. The season ended with the cliffhanger "The Lich", which was viewed by 2.589 million viewers; the story was resolved at the start of season five. The season was met with largely positive critical reception. In addition, several episodes were nominated for awards; the episodes "Princess Cookie", "The Hard Easy", "Lady & Peebles", and "Goliad" were all nominated for Annie Awards. The episode "Card Wars" won a Golden Reel Award. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released after the season finished airing. The full season set was released on October 7, 2014 on DVD and Blu-ray.