“There are just a lot of rich set pieces.”
Bridgerton’s showrunner has teased the romance in the upcoming fourth season, which is arriving in two parts across the early months of 2026. The first four episodes drop on 29 January, with the final four episodes set for 26 February.
An adaptation of Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, season 4 will focus on the romance between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie the maid.
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly, showrunner Jess Brownell stated that the novel is the “easiest book to adapt” into television, with plenty of good material for fans to latch onto.
“[An Offer from a Gentleman] lent itself really closely to television structure for a love story,” Brownell said. “There are just a lot of rich set pieces that gave us juicy conflict and high stakes.
“I think fans will be happy to see quite a few of the set pieces from the book in the show.”
With the romance, the show will explore the class divide, something the showrunner described as a “totally new sensibility” for Bridgerton.
“We talked a lot about going downstairs and how that would affect the overall tone of the show,” Brownell said.
“And I think, actually, it seamlessly blends into the themes that we were trying to explore this season. Benedict very much lives in a fantasy world. Sophie very much lives in a harsher reality.
“The idea is that, for each of them, neither of those stations are where they need to live in order to find true love.”
It’s not just about Benedict however, as Eloise will also feature heavily in the season, while Colin’s married life with Penelope will further be explored.
“It’s a season where we try to make sure all of the siblings feel present in some way and present in the main love story as much as possible,” the showrunner added.
Bridgerton seasons 1-3 are available to stream on Netflix now, with season 4 part 1 dropping on 29 January.
