*Warning: This article contains major spoilers for Bridgerton seasons 1, 2 and 3.*
Bridgerton season 3 might only just have landed on Netflix in full, but speculation is already rife about which Bridgerton sibling could be the focus of season 4.
It would have been Benedict’s turn if the series were to go back and follow the order of the books, but with hints of romance for Eloise and Francesca, it remains to be seen who’ll be thrust into the limelight after Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton’s (Luke Newton) turn in season 3.
She told Variety: “I mean, we absolutely hope to see more of them. But it’ll be dependent on a lot of factors. It’ll be dependent on how much story the main couples take up, and whether there is story room.”
She continued: “It will be dependent on whether the actors are available. As you can imagine, when you have an actor step into a lead role on the show and really lead the main story, it’s difficult to ask them to give up a lot of exciting opportunities to play as more of a side character.
“So we try to be very respectful of our actors in terms of letting them go off and do other things. And it works perfectly fine for us, because of the nature of the show shifting focus. We always want to give our main couple that screen time. So we’ll see what happens. But I love those two, and I would always be happy to see more from them.”
So without further ado, here’s everything we know about Bridgerton season 4.
Will there be a Bridgerton season 4?
Yes! Following the triumph of the show’s early episodes, it was announced that Netflix had renewed Bridgerton for seasons 3 and 4.
There are a total of eight novels in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, and with three down and one more to go, there could be potential for the next four, but that is yet to be confirmed by the streamer.
Is there a Bridgerton season 4 release date?
Not yet. Production for season 4 has not yet begun, with showrunner Jess Brownell explaining that there is likely to be a two-year wait before the show returns to screens.
She told The Hollywood Reporter: “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 then 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 the range.”
All of which means, we’re looking at a potential 2026 release date for Bridgerton season 4, but that is yet to be officially confirmed.
The series hasn’t followed a pattern with its release dates during the past three seasons either, so we’ll just have to keep our eyes out for more info in the coming months.
Could such a long wait hinder its important future storylines? Time will tell.
Who could be in the cast for Bridgerton season 4?
The cast of Bridgerton seasons 2 and 3 changed ever so slightly with the exits of the likes of Regé-Jean Page, Phoebe Dynevor and Charithra Chandran.
As the focus of season 4 is yet to be confirmed, it isn’t clear who will definitely make a return, but there are some likely members of the Ton we can expect back:
- Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
- Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
- Jonathan Bailey as Anthony, Viscount Bridgerton
- Simone Ashley as Kathani ‘Kate’ (née Sharma), Viscountess Bridgerton
- Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton
- Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich
- Ruth Gemmell as Violet, Dowager Viscountess Bridgerton
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
- Will Tilston as Gregory Bridgerton
- Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
- Adjoa Andoh as Agatha, Lady Danbury
- Polly Walker as Portia, Dowager Baroness Featherington
- Jessica Madsen as Cressida Cowper
- Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
- Bessie Carter as Prudence Featherington
- Harriet Cains as Philipa Featherington
- James Bryan as Nicky Mondrich
- Ariella Warburton as Daisy Mondrich
- Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich
- Elias Amos as John Mondrich
- Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson
- James Phoon as Harry Dankworth
- Lorn Macdonald as Albion Finch
- Victor Alli as Lord John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin
Bridgerton season 4 plot: Will Benedict, Eloise or Francesca’s story be next?
The question on everyone’s minds! As of now, no one knows – but there have been some smart teasers along the way.
As many fans will know, season 3 of Bridgerton stepped away from the order of the original novels, with Benedict’s love story being bumped for Colin’s – and with the third season now fully available, there are plenty wondering: Who is next?
“It’s possible that we will continue to go out of order,” Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter.
“I’m really excited about Benedict’s journey in season 3. It felt like it was too early to have him settled down. He’s such a passionate character, and we wanted him to go on a few more adventures before we get to his season.”
With this in mind, all eyes have turned to Luke Thompson, who is remaining very tight-lipped on the matter.
When asked if Benedict’s love story could be next during an appearance on The View, Thompson joked: “How dare you ask me such personal questions?”
He added: “I don’t know. I know that it’s so lovely [and] that one of the best things about a TV job is that you get to really explore a character long-form like that and fill him in slowly. So as long as I keep getting to do that.”
However, there is one major hint that season 4 could be focused on Benedict. Bridgerton artist Grace Gorman recently posted a photo of Lady Cowper on Instagram and wrote that the character’s first name was Araminta.
Fans of the books will be aware that Araminta is the same name as the stepmother of Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s love interest!
Of course, this doesn’t confirm who season 4 will focus on, as this could have just been a hint that Benedict’s love story would be teased throughout season 3.
Some fans have speculated that Francesca (Hannah Dodd) will be next following the recent introduction of John and Michaela Stirling in season 3.
Francesca tied the knot with John at the end of season 3, but the noticeable spark she had with Michaela looks set to throw a spanner in the works in future seasons.
Speaking about Francesca’s sexuality, Brownwell told Deadline that Michaela “felt like a natural one to gender bend”.
She continued: “When I read [Francesca’s] book, I, as a queer woman, really related to her book. Maybe in a way Julia Quinn didn’t intend, but a lot of Francesca’s book is about feeling different from her family and from the world around her and not really knowing why.
“In the book, I think it’s mostly just about being introverted. But I think for a lot of queer people, not every queer person, but a lot of queer people, that sense of feeling different from the time you’re young, is part of our stories.”
Meanwhile, it looks unlikely that Eloise – whose romance unfolds in Quinn’s novel To Sir Phillip, With Love – will be the focus of season 4 based on Brownwell’s recent comments, who told TheWrap that Eloise is “just not that interested in romance”.
Brownwell added: “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.”
So, it looks like we might have to wait a little bit longer for Eloise’s love story.
Is there a trailer for Bridgerton season 4?
No. As season 4 of Bridgerton is yet to begin filming, there is no trailer.
