The fourth season of the American animated television series Adventure Time, created by Pendleton Ward, originally aired on Cartoon Network in the United States. The series is based on a short produced for Frederator's Nicktoons Network animation incubator series Random! Cartoons. The season debuted on April 2, 2012, and the season finale was aired on October 22, 2012. 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 grow and shrink at will. Finn and Jake live in the post-apocalyptic Land of Ooo. Along the way, they interact with the other main characters of the show: Princess Bubblegum, The Ice King, and Marceline the Vampire Queen. 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. Several compilation DVDs that contained episodes from the season were released after the season finished airing. The season was storyboarded and written by Cole Sanchez, Rebecca Sugar, Tom Herpich, Skyler Page, Ako Castuera, Jesse Moynihan, Bert Youn, and Somvilay Xayaphone while being produced by Cartoon Network Studios and Frederator Studios. The series is rated TV-PG.