After playing coy in wake of the release of “Bridgerton” Season 3 earlier this summer, Netflix announced on Tuesday that the “Bridgerton” Season 4 romance will indeed center on Benedict Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson.
Per the official synopsis: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). 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.”
While Season 3 focused on the courtship of Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton), the finale left viewers to speculate which direction Season 4 would take. A late-season twist revealed that Francesca (Hannah Dodd) is queer and introduced her eventual love interest, but before we get to that, Benedict will take center stage.
In Julia Quinn’s book series, Benedict’s love story is third in line.
“Bridgerton” Season 4 could potentially mark the first same-sex romance to lead the Netflix series — the third season found Benedict exploring his sexuality. In Julia Quinn’s books, Benedict ends up with a woman named Sophie, and “Bridgerton” showrunner Jess Brownell told TheWrap that the character is definitely still on deck to appear.
“The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore his fluidity,” Brownell told TheWrap.
After his interest was sparked by Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) in Season 3, Part 1, Tilley introduced Benedict to her friend, Paul. Despite his initial hesitancy, the three began a sexual relationship in Part 2. The Season 3 finale saw Tilley propose a monogamous relationship to Benedict, which Benedict rejected, citing his eagerness to explore his sexuality.
“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.”
Brownell further stressed that Benedict’s sexual identity isn’t a fixed belief for him, and he might best be described as pansexual in modern terms as he finds connection with an individual’s spirit and mind.
Netflix has yet to announce a “Bridgerton” Season 4 release date and production isn’t even underway, but Brownell told TheWrap while the show is unlikely to be on a yearly release schedule, they’re working to get seasons out as quickly as possible.
Watch a short teaser below.
