The streaming platform announced “Bridgerton” season 4 in April 2021, and we already have burning questions regarding the future episodes. The greatest question: which Bridgerton sibling will play this season’s romantic lead?
The third season, which adapted the “Polin” storyline from Julia Quinn’s fourth “Bridgerton” novel, altered the book order, so season 4 could potentially follow Colin’s older brother Benedict (Luke Thompson), their sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), or newly married younger sister Francesca (Hannah Dodd), who had a memorable meeting in that moving season 3 finale.
Regardless of which sibling the series focuses on, “Bridgerton” Season 4 is sure to have all the gorgeous dresses, glittering ballrooms and romantic sexiness we’ve come to expect from the Netflix series. Here’s everything you need to know about “Bridgerton” Season 4.
‘Bridgerton’ Season 4: Release Date
Fans of Ton will have to wait a little longer for season 4 of “Bridgerton”. According to a recent interview with “Bridgerton” creator Jess Brownell, a new season will premiere sometime in 2026.
We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited, and then they have to be dubbed into every language,” Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter of the project. And writing takes a long time, so we’re moving at around a two-year pace. We’re aiming to accelerate, but just in that range.
A two-year wait is not unusual for the series; the first season launched in December 2020, followed by season 2 in March 2022 and season 3 in May of current year.
At the very least, the powers that be want to make the wait worthwhile: “I am quite thrilled about what we are writing. We’re nearing the conclusion of the writers’ room season, with the scripts. And I believe it represents some of my greatest work as well as the best work of my writers’ room,” Brownell remarked. “We’ve just really gelled our partnership, and we’re blazing on all cylinders, so I can’t wait to show them what we’ve got.
Netflix announced in April 2021 that seasons 3 and 4 will be renewed. Bela Bajaria, Netflix’s VP of Global TV, remarked, “Bridgerton blew us off our feet. The creative team, lead by Shonda, knew their subject and crafted a wonderful, emotional, romantic drama for our members. They have some intriguing ideas for the future, and we believe fans will continue to drool over this program. We intend to remain in the Bridgerton business for the years to come.
It’s unknown if season 4 will follow in the footsteps of its predecessor and be divided into two halves, or whether all of the episodes will be released simultaneously on streaming platforms. The fourth season of the program will most likely consist of eight episodes, as did the previous three.
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‘Bridgerton’ season 4: Cast
Though “Bridgerton” season 3 primarily focused on Colin and Penelope’s relationship (who — spoiler alert! — got their happily-ever-after, including a sweet giggling baby, by the season’s end), it also featured plenty of romantic hijinks for the rest of the Bridgerton clan, from Benedict further exploring his sexuality to Eloise leaving the Ton for a sojourn to Scotland with Francesca, her new husband John Stirling (Victor Alli), and his beguiling cousin Michaela (Masali Baduza).
According to the IMDb cast list for the fourth season debut, Luke Thompson’s Benedict, Claudia Jessie’s Eloise, Nicola Coughlan’s Penelope, and Luke Newton’s Colin will all return in new episodes. I enjoy my part in the program, so I don’t see myself leaving. Newton told Teen Vogue, “I just want to finish the stories off. I would say there’s still stuff to get sorted in season 4, so yeah, that’s why I’m there.
Hannah Dodd’s Francesca, as well as the younger Bridgerton siblings Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Gregory (Will Tilston), are anticipated to return for season 4. And, knowing that Bridgerton matriarch Violet, played by Ruth Gemmell, experienced her own share of romantic drama in season 3 opposing Lady Danbury’s brother, Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis), we anticipate seeing both mom and her love interest next season.
IMDb also shows the reappearance of Penelope’s mother, Philipa Featherington (Polly Walker), and the Ton’s resident cruel girl, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen), who may use a redemption storyline next season. Other popular characters, like Adjoa Andoh, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich, and Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich, are all expected to return.
It is uncertain whether past “Bridgerton” main couples will join Coughlan and Newton in their return to the Ton for season 4. Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his pregnant wife Kate (Simone Ashley) left for India at the conclusion of last season, providing an easy excuse for both busy actors to forgo the next season.
Brownell did, however, speak with Variety about the couple’s probable return. “We sincerely want to see more of them. However, it will be based on a variety of things. It will depend on how much tale the major couples take up and whether there is enough story room. It will depend on if the actors are available…we try to be extremely respectful of our performers by allowing them to go out and do other things,” she told the site.
And, It works nicely for us because of the way the show shifts importance. We always want to give our primary couple some screen time. So let’s see what happens. But I adore those two and would always be delighted to see more of them.
‘Bridgerton’ season 4: Spoilers and Book Story
Spoiler alert: The following includes specific information regarding Julia Quinn’s novels “An Offer From a Gentleman” and “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton.”
While “Bridgerton” hasn’t quite followed Quinn’s novels, seasons 1 and 2 did roughly follow the narrative of her first two “Bridgerton” books, “The Duke and I” and “The Viscount Who Loved Me.” Some plotlines were moved from subsequent volumes, such as the reveal of Lady Whistledown’s identity.
However, season three deviated from the texts. It did not borrow plot cues from book three, “An Offer From a Gentleman,” which involves a Cinderella-esque romance between Benedict Bridgerton and a new heroine named Sophie Beckett. Instead of Benedict’s plot, the third season draws on the fourth novel, “Romancing Mr. Bridgerton,” which focused on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington.
So, does this imply that season 4 will go back on track and focus on Benedict? Showrunner Jess Brownell would not reveal which Bridgerton sibling would be featured on television in season 4, but she did suggest that fans pay close attention to season 3.
She told TV Insider: “I won’t give you anything, but I believe there are some hints at the conclusion of season 3 about where we’re going. So, sure, I’ll leave it to the fans to pick apart, but I believe we’re tipping our hand just a little.”
Benedict was last seen in the season 3 finale rejecting Lady Tilley Arnold’s (Hannah New) proposal of a committed relationship, minus their recent paramour Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio), in favor of being single and exploring his sexuality. Brownell told TheWrap that the exploration would continue in future episodes: “This is not the end of that storyline.” As every fluid person understands, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether you end up with a man, a woman, or a nonbinary person.
Regarding Sophie Beckett, “The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore [Benedict’s] fluidity,” Brownell told the source. The conclusion of season 3 does hint to that character’s appearance next season: Eloise tells Benedict that she’ll be home in a few months for Violet’s masquerade ball, and “Bridgerton” fans may recall that Benedict and Sophie initially met at such a social gathering.