“Bridgerton” Season 3 accomplished in eight episodes the kind of drama that some shows take multiple seasons to bring to fruition. Between Colin and Penelope’s whirlwind courtship and marriage, Cressida Cowper’s downfall, and the major Lady Whistledown reveal, Season 3 managed to cover a lot.
It comes as no surprise that fans are already clamoring for the fourth season of the hit Netflix series. As more and more details are revealed, Season 4 is shaping up to become a fan-favorite.
Here is everything we know about “Bridgerton” Season 4 so far.
Benedict will lead Season 4
After speculation on which sibling was up next to receive their fairytale ending, Luke Thompson’s Benedict Bridgerton was announced as the Season 4 lead in July, just over a month after Season 3 wrapped up.
The official synopsis is as follows: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict. Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”
In Benedict’s book, “An Offer From a Gentleman,” Benedict meets his love interest Sophie at his mother’s masquerade ball, which Eloise says is happening in a few months in the Season 3 finale.
While showrunner Jess Brownell told TheWrap “the introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards” she emphasized the show would “continue to explore his fluidity” after delving into a relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and her friend, Paul, in Season 3.
“This is not the end of that storyline,” Brownell said. “As any fluid person knows, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether or not you end up with a man, a woman or a nonbinary person.”
“Bridgerton” Season 4 might not be released until 2026
Though Netflix renewed ‘Bridgerton’ for seasons 3 and 4 in 2021, it might be a while until Season 4 debuts. Seasons of “Bridgerton” take eight months to film before post-production takes place, which means Season 4 might not be released on Netflix until 2026.
While Brownell told TheWrap she hoped to speed up time in between seasons, she said a yearly release schedule is highly unlikely.
“I’ll be honest, yearly is probably out of the cards. This is such a giant production. It is like making eight short feature films, just in terms of how many storylines we have to write, and then the production obviously is an enormous undertaking,” she said. “We are doing everything in our power to start releasing seasons more quickly, but once a year might be a hard target to hit.”
Penelope will continue to write Lady Whistledown under her name
The end of season 3 saw Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) forced to reveal her identity as the trust Lady Whistledown. Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) gave her blessing to continue the column, but as any gentle reader knows, that blessing could be revoked just as quickly as it was offered in the first place.
“Now Pen will have to navigate what it’s like to be a public gossip columnist, not only dealing with the people she writes about, but also taking steps to be more accountable in what she writes,” Brownell said. “I think accountability and authenticity are two things that she’s had to really face this season, and we’re gonna continue that thread going into Season 4.”
But Julie Andrews might still be part of the show
So what of Lady Whistledown narrator Julie Andrews? Brownell told TheWrap they’re working on ways to keep her involved moving forward.
“It’s Julie Andrews — I’m obsessed with her,” Brownell told TheWrap. “I would hate to lose her from the show. While she is, in many ways, the voice of Penelope when she was trying to hide herself, I also think she’s just become so iconic as the voice of Lady Whistledown. So we’re playing with different ideas in Season 4, and people have to wait and see where we go with that.”
Francesca’s love story will progress
Newlyweds Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) ended season 3 by moving to Scotland with Francesca’s sister Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and John’s cousin Michaela. As fans of the book series already know, Michaela is a gender-swapped version of Michael from “When He Was Wicked.” In the book, Michael falls in love with Francesca immediately and the pair ultimately marry after John’s death and raise two children together.
While Francesca won’t lead Season 4, Michaela’s introduction at the end of Season 3 indicates that we might see some progress in Francesca’s love story. With John alive in well in the Season 3 finale, the next installment could see John’s demise, or, at the least, tension bubbling up between Francesca and Michaela.
“I want to be clear that we’re not trying to undercut anything about her relationship with John,” Brownell told TheWrap. “She has a real connection with him that is based in companionship, friendship, respect and common interests, and it is a very valid form of love. What we’ll be continuing to explore for Francesca is more about how important or not passion is to her in a relationship.”
Eloise’s future isn’t set
Many fans had pegged Eloise as potentially queer, but in Season 3 it’s revealed that she’s more interested in her own pursuits than finding a match. Brownell said that arc will continue, but she may change her mind in the future.
“I think where she’s at right now, she’s just not that interested in romance. She really cares about her family relationships and she really cares about her friendships, and I think she still has some room for growth,” Brownell told TheWrap. “I think it’s absolutely possible that she’s going to open up to love in the future, but we have a little bit more we want to do with her before she’s ready for that.”
Cressida Cowper is likely returning
Jessica Madsen will likely return as Cressida Cowper, even though her character was shipped off to live with an aunt in Wales at the end of the show’s third season. While no plot points have been revealed, this could indicate Cressdia will get a shot at a redemption arc, something Brownell said she would like to see.
“I don’t think we’re done with Cressida,” Brownell said. “If I have my druthers, there’s more I’d like to do with her. It felt too early to give her a big happy ending. We’ve watched two seasons of her be a real bully, and I love understanding where that comes from,” she explained.
Most of the cast will return
Season 3 leads Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton confirmed they would be returning for Season 4, and Season 2 leads Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley have stated their desire to keep coming back for future seasons. So Rege-Jean Page’s absence after co-leading Season 1 appears to be the exception, not the rule.
