Polin season has ended, and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) is a wallflower no more. By the end of Bridgerton Season 3, she is not only the wife of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) but also the proud bearer of the pseudonym Lady Whistledown. That’s right: Penelope has at last revealed her identity as the gossip columnist to the ton — and she did it on her own terms. And while she had great fears about her biggest secret being exposed, the season wrapped with Penelope being embraced for her alternate identity as Lady Whistledown.
Bridgerton was renewed for a fourth season back in 2021. The news was hardly surprising considering the popularity of the Netflix series based on Julia Quinn’s historical romance novels. And now that Season 3 has ended, it’s time to turn our focus toward perpetual bachelor Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), whose search for a match will be the main story of Season 4.
The Netflix drama has shifted the order of Quinn’s series a bit. Benedict is the central character in Book 3, titled An Offer from a Gentleman, but Bridgerton chose to adapt the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, for Season 3, to tell the story of Polin first. It’s only right that Benedict will finally get his moment in the spotlight.
Here’s everything we know so far about Bridgerton Season 4, including when it’s coming out (hint: not for a while), who it will focus on, the new romantic lead, and the returning cast.
Bridgerton Season 4 latest news
On Sept. 11, Netflix officially announced Yerin Ha as Bridgerton‘s Season 4 lead Sophie Baek. Find out more about the actor and her character below.
Who will Bridgerton Season 4 be about?
We finally know which Bridgerton sibling will be the focus of Season 4: Benedict Bridgerton, who in Season 3 told Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) that he’s not looking to settle down, is stepping up to find his perfect match.
Netflix’s official synopsis of Season 4 reads, “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 September, Neflix shared more information about this Lady in Silver: “Sophie Baek has been forced to spend much of her life working as a maid for the most demanding employer in the ton. But the resourceful Sophie always finds a way to persevere through her circumstances — which will drastically change after she disguises herself to attend Violet Bridgerton’s masquerade ball.”
The streamer also released a short video teasing Yerin Ha’s addition to the cast.
Your Sophie has finally arrived. Please welcome Yerin Ha to Bridgerton Season 4! pic.twitter.com/sHZMZIPhTD
— Netflix (@netflix) September 11, 2024
Bridgerton Season 4 cast
On Aug. 16, Deadline reported that Yerin Ha, who recently starred in the live-action adaptation of Halo, is set to play Sophie. Known as Sophie Beckett in Quinn’s novel, the character will instead have a Korean surname in the Bridgerton TV series. Netflix said this change was made out of respect for the actor’s culture. “A name is the first bit of identity that you share with the world, and that’s why changing a name can be so powerful,” Ha told Tudum. “To make Sophie’s name fit someone who looks like me is really empowering. All credit to Jess Brownell, our showrunner.” According to Ha, Brownell asked her about Korean last names beginning with a “B” and they landed on Baek.
Deadline also reported that Jonathan Bailey is confirmed to return as Anthony Bridgerton in the upcoming chapter. Here are other characters we’re expecting to come back for Bridgerton Season 4:
Main cast members:
- Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
- Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
- Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton
- Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
- Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton
- Adjoa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
- Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown
- Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
Bridgerton Season 4 teaser
Netflix announced Benedict’s ascension to main character with a short teaser that shows an out-of-character Thompson accepting his outfit for the masquerade ball — an event that fans of the book series are very familiar with.
When is Bridgerton Season 4 coming out?
Unfortunately, Bridgerton is eying a return in 2026 at the earliest. In June 2024, Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter about the timeline for Season 4. “We’re kind of on a two-year pace, we’re trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range,” she said. “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.” The showrunner did say the writers room for the season is approaching an end. But there’s still a long way to go before Bridgerton Season 4 hits Netflix.
