Benedict Bridgerton will be Bridgerton season 4’s lead star.

Dearest readers, Bridgerton season 4 is on the way and, when it comes to getting into the nitty-gritty of the Ton, there’s plenty to discuss. In season 3, we were treated to the couple affectionately dubbed ‘Polin’ but, in season 4, it’s all about Benophie. Indeed, despite a slight deviation from the order of Julia Quinn’s famed book series of the same name, it’s time to address ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’, the third novel in which Benedict Bridgerton and his love interest Sophie take center stage.

With all three seasons thus far holding spots in the top ten all-time most popular English-language TV shows on Netflix, according to Tudum, season 4 has a lot to live up to. Fortunately, the main cast will be returning, Shondaland continues to produce, and Netflix remains the the best streaming service that offers us all the courtship, gossip, and latest Lady Whistledown’s musings we’ve come to love. So, from our thoughts on its likely release date to its potential plot threads and more, here’s what we know about Bridgerton season 4 so far.

Full spoilers follow for Bridgerton season 3 and its predecessors. Potential season 4 spoilers also follow.

Bridgerton season 4 release date prediction

When will season 4 air? It’s looking like 2026 (Image credit: Netflix)

Bridgerton season 4 has been on the cards since it was announced alongside season 3 in April 2021. However, while there’s exciting news about season 4 ahead, there’s no official release date to share just yet – and you may be saddened to hear it’s looking like it won’t arrive until mid-2026.

Filming was rumored to be begin in June, per filming site Production List, but the date has since moved to mid-September (per What’s on Netflix). Principal photography will likely run for several months, too, according to the latter outlet.

We shouldn’t see season 4 for two years, then – and that’s been all but confirmed by showrunner Jess Brownell, who told The Hollywood Reporter (THR): “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. And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we’re kind of on a two-year pace, we’re trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range.”

Bridgerton season 4 trailer: is there one?

We don’t have an official trailer, but a brief Bridgerton season 4 teaser, which confirmed season 4’s romantic lead will be Benedict Bridgerton, arrived in July.

Seen amongst clips of previous seasons, the text “Welcome to the marriage mart, Benedict,” appears on the screen. Following the montage, we’re treated to behind-the-scenes footage of a person off-screen saying “I hear we’re fitting you for a suit”,  to which Benedict aka Luke Thompson replies “I already have an outfit for tonight.” The person off-screen responds “Oh no, it’s not for tonight. It’s for the masquerade ball”, before Benedict says “In that case, come on in.”

The masquerade ball, according to Julia Quinn’s novels, is where Benedict famously meets Sophie Beckett, aka the ‘Lady in Silver,’ but we’ll dive into this in our plot section.

Bridgerton season 4 cast: likely and confirmed

Benedict Bridgerton will take on the role of Bridgerton season 4’s romantic lead (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for Bridgerton season 3.

Given that we didn’t lose any of the main cast in season 3, we’d expect these characters to return in Bridgerton season 4:

Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
Ruth Gemmell as Lady Violet Bridgerton
Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton
Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
Simone Ashley as Kathani ‘Kate’ Bridgerton
Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury
Harriet Cains as Philippa Featherington
Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
Polly Walker as Lady Portia Featherington
Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown
Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
Martin Imhangbe as Will Mondrick
Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley
Hugh Sachs as Brimsley
Hannah Doss as Francesca Stirling
Victor Alli as John Stirling
Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling
Kathryn Drysdale as Genevieve Delacroix
Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson

We know who Benedict Bridgerton is, but who will play the famous Sophie Beckett? In August, Variety’s sources suggested Australian actress Yerin Ha (Halo, Bad Behaviour) had been cast . Netflix and Shondaland are yet to confirm this, though.

We don’t expect to see the likes of Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon (Regé Jean-Page) return, but Jonathan Bailey was there in season 3 and he’s confirmed, during an interview with Good Morning America, that he’ll be back in season 4. “I have a couple of weeks etched out in my schedule for returning,” he said. “So, I’m really excited and Luke Thompson is just going to be stunning.”

As for season 3’s shining couple Penelope and Colin, they’ll also be back. Speaking to Town & Country, Luke Newton said: “I’m excited for the happily ever after and to see what that brings. I have so much trust in Jess [Brownell] that it will always be interesting and always be exciting. That’s also the joy of being in the Bridgerton family: There’s always going to be drama. There’s always going to be something I get to help out with or causing mischief or whatever it is.”

Bridgerton season 4 plot rumors

Season 4 will adapt the third novel penned by Julia Quinn, which is titled ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’ (Image credit: Netflix)

Full spoilers follow for Bridgerton season 3.

Bridgerton season 4’s story brief hasn’t been unveiled yet – and it won’t be until closer to its release. Even so, we have some ideas of where the plot will go, based on its source material and how Benedict’s story in the third season ended.

In Bridgerton season 3, the focus was Penelope and Colin, which actually meant the show skipped ahead in Julia Quinn’s book series. As previously mentioned, however, season 3 will leap back a few chapters to book three, which is called ‘An Offer From a Gentleman’. Fans of the books will know, then, that it’s time for Benedict the bachelor to meet Sophie Beckett – the elusive ‘Lady in Silver’ who sneaks into the masquerade ball to find a suitor, stumbles upon him, and likely captures his heart.

In the books, the Lady in Silver is the illegitimate daughter of an Earl and one of his maids, although he hasn’t publicly acknowledged her as his daughter despite her living with him.

It may be hard to believe Benedict may finally settle down, considering how season 3 ended. Indeed, viewers watched as Benedict embarked on not one, but two relationships; the untethered playboy messing around with Lady Tilley Arnold and Paul Suarez. However, he broke up with the pair in the season 3 finale after he decides he doesn’t want to tie himself down to any one person.

Elaborating on why Benedict made that decision, Luke Thompson, who plays the character, told Netflix’s Tudum website: “Benedict has always been a little lost – or free, depending on the way you want to look at it. But, now he’s trying to find something a bit more solid in himself. His identity has been a little bit of a question mark, but it doesn’t ever seem to really bother him. It often feels like ‘you’re either this, or you’re this’. He’s finding it out.”

Will Benedict be capable of settling down in Bridgerton season 4? 

Showrunner Jess Brownell also spoke to Tudum about Benedict’s love story, adding: “It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before he settles down. He is someone who has big appetites, and we wanted to see him living a big life before he goes into settle-down mode.”

Much like Bridgerton’s first three seasons, though, the romantic lead isn’t the only one embarking on a love story, of which there’s most certainly more to explore in season 4. We know that Lady Violet Bridgerton was enjoying the company of Lady Danbury’s brother, Lord Marcus Anderson – and, during the season 3 finale, we saw the pair dance the night away at the Dankworth-Finch ball.

Kate and Anthony are due to welcome their first child, too, which will see the married couple travel to India to do so. There’s also more to explore from Colin and Penelope as Polin embark on married life and raising their child. Luke Newton spoke to Tudum about their new role, teasing: “Once you’ve had your moment, it’s really nice to see how they’ll navigate married life. It’ll be a place of comfort for them and they’ll enjoy it.”

The arrival of Michaela Stirling excited Bridgerton fans 

And then there’s Eloise traveling to Scotland alongside her sister Francesca and new husband Lord John Stirling. She decided to pursue her curiosity and take a break from the marriage mart in doing so, so it’ll be interesting to see how she spends her time there.

It was as much of a cliffhanger ending for the new Stirlings as well, as Francesca met John’s cousin Michaela Stirling. In Quinn’s book ‘When He Was Wicked’, this character is male and goes by the name Michael Stirling, so the role has been gender-swapped for Netflix’s adaptation. Michaela’s appearance sent fans wild, and for those who’ve yet to read the book, the significance will become all the more clear as the seasons continue.

Finally, amongst all the love and marriage, Queen Charlotte made a statement in the season 3 finale of accepting Lady Whistledown, aka Penelope Featherington. Whether the Queen’s favor continues, only time will tell.

Where to watch Bridgerton

Will Queen Charlotte choose a diamond in season 4? (Image credit: Netflix)

Bridgerton seasons 1 to 3 can be streamed exclusively on Netflix. One of the best Netflix shows is also joined on the platform by prequel spin-off Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story. If you find yourself at a loss while we wait for season 4, here are six dashing dramas like Bridgerton to be captivated by, too.

Will Bridgerton get a fifth season?

Will we get more seasons of Bridgerton? Shonda Rhimes most certainly hopes so (Image credit: Netflix)

Netflix hasn’t announced if a fifth season will be made. But, according to executive producer Shonda Rhimes, there’s hopefully going to be at least eight. Per Variety, Rhimes said she still plans to adapt all eight of the Bridgerton books, adding: “I do have a very specific plan of where we go each season – which one is which. Because you really have to start seeding in the other siblings, and what’s going on with them, to push them to the next season. We’ve really talked about it through, I think, season 6 or maybe 7.”

It’s unclear if Netflix will take a similar approach to Bridgerton seasons 3 and 4 and renew two more seasons at the same time. Considering how popular Bridgerton continues to be, however, we’d be surprised if it doesn’t greenlight the pair, if not a trio of new seasons, before too long.

As for Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, Rhimes has teased the possibility of making a second season. “We talk about it a lot,” she told Variety. “And, for a while, I was holding it very close, and didn’t necessarily know that I wanted to play it out in a Bridgerton season. But, now we’ve been talking about what it would look like if we saw a little bit in Bridgerton’s present day, with Brimsley and Reynolds, and what that would mean [and] I think it deprives us of a chance to tell the story the way it should be told.”