With Bridgerton season three, the Netflix series deviated from the order of Julia Quinn’s books, which serve as the inspiration for the show. Instead of focusing on Benedict’s story from, An Offer From a Gentleman, the show chose to center Colin and Penelope (Romancing Mister Bridgerton). Does that mean season four will be about Benedict?
“We are hard at work on season four,” showrunner Jess Brownell tells T&C. “We’ve broken out the whole season and are finalizing the scripts, and I’m super excited about where we’re headed. There are some clues at the end of season three about where we’re headed. So I have a feeling fans will probably work it out.”
As Brownell notes, the season finale of season three has a few Easter Eggs—ones that seem to point towards Benedict’s story, including a reference to a masquerade ball next season.
In July, Netflix’s Chief Content Officer Bela Bajara told Variety that news about season four is “coming soon. Here’s the thing. Rest assured there will be more Bridgerton. It’s so fun to see in the ‘Polin’ season people just love it. They love that couple, they love that story. There will definitely be more Bridgerton, more balls to go to, more corsets to wear, more romance to be had. So it’s all happening.”
Netflix already renewed Bridgerton for season four.
Before season two dropped, Netflix confirmed that seasons three and four were in the works. An April 2021 letter penned by Lady Whistledown and posted on Bridgerton‘s social media channels read: “Esteemed members of the Ton, It seems we have a rather special announcement. Bridgerton shall return for seasons three and four. This author shall have to purchase more ink…”
Shonda Rhimes wants to make eight seasons “or more” of Bridgerton.
“Everybody’s going to have a main arc every season,” Rhimes told Town & Country. “There’s going to be one for each one of the Bridgertons. We laid out the story in a way that felt right and necessary for us. And, eventually, every last one of those Bridgertons is going to have a love story.”
In an interview with Variety before season three, Rhimes shared, “I do have a very specific plan of where we go each season — which one is which. Because you really have to start seeding in the other siblings, and what’s going on with them, to push them to the next season. We’ve really talked about it through, I think, Season 6 or maybe 7.”
It’s as yet unclear which book will serve as the inspiration for season four, but there’s a good chance it could be Benedict. Brownell told EW about season three, “On the Benedict side, he’s such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down.”
Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton will be back.
Coughlan and Newton, who led season three, are looking forward to more Bridgerton. “I’m excited for the happily ever after and to see what that brings,” Newton told Town & Country. “I have so much trust in Jess [Brownell, the showrunner] that it will always be interesting and always be exciting. That’s also the joy of being in the Bridgeton family: There’s always going to be drama. There’s always going to be something I get to help out with or causing mischief or whatever it is.”
Season 4 is rumored to begin filming in September 2024.
Production List, a site that monitors major film and television projects in pre-production and active development, originally listed the start date for season four production as June 10 in London, but soon after, that was pushed to mid-September.
The season could not premiere until 2026. “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.”
While we wait for more news on Bridgerton season four, catch up on all the Bridgerton novels:
