Warning: Spoilers for Bridgerton season 3 ahead.
Dearest gentle reader, we are most pleased to confirm that Bridgerton season 4 is confirmed and in production, much to our delight.
Netflix’s Bridgerton, created by Chris Van Dusen, produced by Shonda Rhimes, and currently with Jess Brownell as showrunner, has quickly cemented itself as a pop culture landmark in the four years since its premiere. The Regency-era romance drama broke records when it first debuted on the streamer in 2020 and has only continued its historic streak with its junior season, which hit Netflix in May and June 2024. According to The Hollywood Reporter, season 3 part 1 drew 2.76 billion minutes of viewing time in the United States.
Back in 2022, Bridgerton‘s second season was Netflix’s most-watched English-language TV series of all time. The show has received critical acclaim for both of its seasons, earning praise for its costuming, acting, dramatic and sexy storylines, and diverse on-screen representation.
Audiences are head over heels in love with the Ton universe. So much so that in 2021, ahead of the second season’s premiere, the series was renewed for a third and fourth season. Jess Brownell, who has worked on other Shondaland hits like Scandal and Inventing Anna, will continue on as the showrunner for season 4.
And now, dearest reader, with your best interests in mind, we’ve compiled a guide of everything you need to know about Bridgerton season 4, including new and returning cast members, plot details and which Bridgerton sibling will find love next, the show’s release date, trailers, photos, and more. Keep reading or jump to your preferred section using the arrows below.
When is Bridgerton season 4 coming out on Netflix?
It’s not too surprising that Bridgerton season 4 is fast-tracking to production, only a few months after the release of season 3. While speaking to The Hollywood Reporter at the U.K. premiere for season 3 part 2, showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed the current pace of the show’s development per season.
“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 said. “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.”
If it felt like the wait between Bridgerton seasons 2 and 3 was not painful, that’s because limited prequel series Queen Charlotte was released in the interim during the spring of 2023. But it seems like we may not have another series within the Ton universe to hold us over this time. Shonda Rhimes told Variety in April 2024 that she’s “trying to figure it out still” on whether she wants to create a second season of Queen Charlotte. “I don’t want to tell a story that doesn’t need to be told — do you know what I mean?” Rhimes said. “I don’t want to make a second season of Queen Charlotte, and you’re going to be, like, ‘Well, that was not that great.’”
Looks like we’ll have to start an official rewatch of the prequel series and the three existing seasons… and just go really slow.
Who is in the cast of Bridgerton season 4?
Most of the show’s namesake — the Bridgerton family — is expected to return for season 4. This list includes: Luke Newton (Colin), Claudia Jessie (Eloise), Luke Thompson (Benedict), Ruth Gemmell (Violet), Hannah Dodd (Francesca), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth), and Will Tilston (Gregory).
While speaking to Teen Vogue in May ahead of the season 3 part 1 release, Luke Newton mentioned that he was excited to see where Colin and Penelope’s love story goes in future seasons, confirming that he is in for the long haul. “Absolutely. I feel very invested in the show… like I said before, I just love the people,” Newton told us. “I love my job. I love my role in the show, so I can’t see myself going anywhere. I just want to finish the stories off. I would say there’s still stuff to get sorted in season four, so yeah, that’s why I’m there.”
Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Jessica Madsen (Cressida Cowper), Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich), Emma Naomi (Alice Mondrich), Hugh Sachs (Brimsley), and Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, and Polly Walker as Philipa, Prudence, and Portia Featherington, respectively, are all also expected to return.
It’s unclear as of yet whether the eldest Bridgerton son will also be returning as the 9th Viscount, along with his new wife, the Viscountess — aka, Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley as Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma Bridgerton. It’s possible they might take the same route Phoebe Dynevor took, with a small hiatus. Bailey has a stacked few years ahead of him with the release of Wicked Parts 1 and 2 in November 2024 and November 2025; the actor will portray Elphaba (Cynthia Erivo) and Glinda’s (Ariana Grande) love interest, Fiyero.
In early 2023, Dynevor, who played the poised Daphne, confirmed that she wouldn’t return for Bridgerton season 3 while speaking to Screen Rant. The actress shared that there weren’t any interesting story arcs on the horizon for her Bridgerton character, or any story arcs at all: “Sadly not in season 3. Potentially in the future.”
What will Bridgerton season 4 be about?
Bridgerton season 1 told the love story of Daphne Bridgerton and Simon, the Duke of Hastings, season 2 followed the enemies-to-lovers arc of the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma, and season 3 followed the friends-to-lovers journey of Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. And season 4 will follow the story of — drum roll please — Benedict!
After much speculation, Netflix confirmed Bridgerton season 4 will center on Benedict’s love story on July 23, 2024. “It has been brought to this author’s attention that perhaps it is time to unmask the newest suitor of the marriage mart,” the streamer wrote on social media before adding: “Benedict Bridgerton’s story is coming next season.”
If you watched season 3, you’d know how, ehm, revelatory the season was for Benedict so expect even more in season 4 as he tries to find his match — which, according to a small synopsis shared by Netflix, he will: “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. While Benedict knows his love interest as only the Lady in Silver, she’s actually Sophie, a resourceful maid with her own secrets and dreams.”
Bridgerton is sticking to its source material format of following a new love story each season; showrunner Jess Brownell confirmed to Teen Vogue that she “doesn’t have any plans to combine seasons.” “I want every sibling to have their own season, and I know that Shonda wants that as well,” said Brownell.
It was this straying from the chronology of the books that had fans eagerly awaiting the announcement of which Bridgerton sibling we’ll see fall in love next. Little did we know, the season 4 love story had already been chosen even before Bridgerton season 3 had finished airing.
After the season 3 finale, it seemed possible that Eloise, Benedict, or Francesca could get their time in the spotlight. Brownell told Decider that Francesca’s love story was a priority this past season to set up “for later down the line” so she’ll likely get her time to shine in season 5 or 6. “Francesca’s book, for those who are familiar, it takes place over a longer amount of years and it has more twists and turns,” Brownell added. “And so we felt like we wanted to start that story earlier so that we could play out more chapters of her book.”
