It feels almost like yesterday that the ton was abuzz with wisteria and witty writings from our then-still-unknown Lady Whistledown, as well as the budding romance between besties Colin and Penelope. But alas, much has changed, as things must in a world so rife with drama, intrigue, scandal, and sex!
So now, here we are, already in the early days of production for Bridgerton season four, and the energy is palpable. There’s still much to come, but we thought it pertinent to reveal the things we do know about the upcoming season of the record-breaking, world-renowned television series from Netflix and Shondaland. The excitement is building indeed!
Bridgerton season four: The plot!
The fourth season of Bridgerton — back in the hands of Jess Brownell, who’s back as showrunner and executive producer, along with executive producers Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica, and Chris Van Dusen — turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down. That is, until he encounters a captivating lady in silver at his mother’s masquerade ball — who is later revealed to be Sophie Baek, a lowly housemaid (more on her below!). Over eight episodes, we’ll dive into a love story that is both a tale as old as time and hot off the press as we eagerly watch what happens between Benedict and Sophie as their two very different worlds collide.
Taking inspiration from the third book in the original Bridgerton series, An Offer From a Gentleman, written by Julia Quinn, this season is sure to whet all you Bridgerverse fans’ appetites for love, lust, longing, and true fairy-tale romance. And rest assured that we’ll be running into a lot of faces, old and new, throughout the ton!
The cast
Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
While it’s been previously announced that Luke Thompson will be our leading man as Benedict Bridgerton, it still tickles us pink to finally get to see how Benedict’s story unfolds. And as the second in line, Benedict has always felt slightly untethered to reality, instead opting for more, shall we say, alternative routes in life. While last season he explored a side of himself we all knew was inside him, this season we see something shift in him. And it’s because of the chance meeting with a mysterious lady in silver at the season’s first ball.
Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek
It was only last week that we finally got the news about our leading lady, Yerin Ha. Ha most recently was part of Paramount+’s Halo ensemble cast and will soon be in the hotly anticipated HBO series Dune: Prophecy. But in the Bridgerverse, Ha is Sophie Baek, a steadfast and resourceful young woman who’s been forced to spend much of her life working as a maid for the most demanding employer in the ton, Araminta Gun, and her two daughters, Rosamund and Posy. Always finding a way to persevere through her circumstances, Sophie disguises herself to attend the masquerade ball, where she meets Benedict, and everything changes.
Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun
Araminta Gun, portrayed by Katie Leung, is twice married and twice widowed. The mother of two girls debuting on the marriage mart this season, she is feeling the pressure to get at least one of them married. Fabulous, discerning, and blunt, this lady does not respond well when anything — or anyone — threatens her standing in society.
Soon to be seen in BBC One’s thriller Nightsleeper, Katie Leung has acted opposite Chloë Grace Moretz in Prime Video’s The Peripheral, created by the makers of Westworld. She recently appeared in the second season of The Wheel of Time (also from Prime Video) and in the first season of the Paramount+ series The Chemistry of Death, with Harry Treadaway. Leung also stars in the BBC/Alibi series Annika with Nicola Walker, and she’s held lead roles in Channel 4’s Chimerica, BBC’s One Child, and ITV’s Strangers opposite John Simm. In 2017, she played the daughter of Jackie Chan’s character in the feature film The Foreigner — oh, and you might also remember her from the Harry Potter franchise as Cho Chang, Harry’s love interest.
Leung trained at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland and was named as a 2014 BAFTA Breakthrough Brit. Onstage, Leung has most recently performed in Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’ play The Comeuppance at London’s Almeida Theatre and has held lead roles in Royal Court Theatre’s White Pearl, the Royal Shakespeare Company’s Snow in Midsummer, National Theatre’s The World of Extreme Happiness, the Young Vic’s Wild Swans.
Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li
As Rosamund Li, Michelle Mao embodies the beautiful and vain eldest daughter of Lady Araminta, who is always eager to please her mother. Rosamund knows she is her mother’s most prized possession, and as such, Rosamund sets her sights on Benedict this season and is determined to get what she wants.
Born in Tennessee and raised in Hong Kong and Beijing, Michelle Mao discovered her love of theater while attending boarding school in the United Kingdom. She further developed her passion while immersed in San Francisco’s vibrant theater scene when she was earning her undergraduate degree at UC Berkeley and went on to receive her master’s at Tsinghua University as part of the Schwarzman Scholars Program.
Not long after graduating, she landed roles in Netflix’s Metal Lords for producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff and Apple TV+’s Surfside Girls. Her career has continued to flourish with roles in Disney+’s Goosebumps and the CW’s Kung Fu. She most recently starred in the indie short My Nights Glow Yellow as part of the Rising Voices program for Lena Waithe’s company, Hillman Grad. The short premiered at both the Tribeca and Toronto film festivals.
Next, Mao will be featured in Plan B’s Preparation for the Next Life, directed by Bing Liu, and in the film A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, directed by Kogonada and starring Margot Robbie and Colin Farrell. Through her performances, Mao seeks to shine a light on the experiences of the Asian diaspora, bringing both authenticity and depth to her performances.
Isabella Wei as Posy Li
As Rosamund’s younger sister, Isabella Wei portrays the much kinder Posy Li. Posy is also debuting this year, but her mother rarely puts the spotlight on her, as her chatty, overly friendly demeanor often has her putting her foot in her mouth.
Isabella Wei, who is based in London and Hong Kong, found her breakthrough role as the mysterious Ling Yi in Baran bo Odar and Jantje Friese’s Netflix series 1899. Since then, she has worked on back-to-back projects with director Rupert Sanders in this summer’s hit remake of The Crow, with director Audrey Diwan in Emmanuelle alongside Naomi Watts, and in Calif Chong’s hotly anticipated feature debut, High Wire. This Christmas, she co-stars alongside Keira Knightley and Ben Whishaw in Netflix’s Black Doves.
And of course, we can’t forget our beloved returning cast, with Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Bridgerton (née Featherington), Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Victor Alli as John Stirling, Hannah Dodd as Francesca Stirling (née Bridgerton), Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury, Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte, Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown, Lorraine Ashbourne as Mrs. Varley, Masali Baduza as Michaela Stirling, Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson, Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton, Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton, Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton, Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich (who has been upped to series regular), Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich, Polly Walker as Portia Featherington, and Hugh Sachs as Brimsley (also upped to series regular).
The locations
This season, Bridgerton has expanded its filming locations at Shepperton Studios with a newly constructed back lot that showcases exquisite replicas of Georgian and Regency architecture, which include homes, buildings, a replica of Mayfair Street, and more.
Eight months in the making, this back lot promises to envelop the beloved show in an even more delightful and authentic atmosphere, transporting audiences to a world of Regency-era splendor. This regal undertaking was designed by Bridgerton Production Designer Alison Gartshore, along with Supervising Art Director Antony Cartlidge and Art Director Adam David Grant. The build spans approximately two acres of Netflix’s back lot at Shepperton Studios, marking a new chapter in the series’ enchanting journey. And for your own look into the magic, be sure to check out these stunning photos of Thompson and Ha recently captured on the back lot set.
As we eagerly await more news about Bridgerton season four, come back here for all your Bridgerverse updates and announcements. And remember, you can always peruse our previous Bridgerton content, which features all the cast interviews, behind-the-scenes stories and videos, and deep dive features you can only get at Shondaland.
