Everything We Know About ‘Bridgerton’ Season 4 So Far

“Bridgerton” Season 3 accomplished in eight episodes the kind of drama that some shows take multiple seasons to bring to fruition. Between Colin and Penelope’s whirlwind courtship and marriage, Cressida Cowper’s downfall, and the major Lady Whistledown reveal, season 3 managed to cover a lot.

It comes as no surprise that fans are already clamoring for the 4th season of the hit Netflix series. Though many details haven’t been revealed, what is out there is compelling.

Here is everything we know about “Bridgerton” Season 4 so far.

Season 4 was announced in 2021

Netflix renewed ‘Bridgerton’ for seasons 3 and 4 in 2021. At the time, executive producer Shonda Rhimes said, “From the first time I read Julia Quinn’s delicious ‘Bridgerton’ series, I knew these were stories that would captivate a viewing audience. But the evolution of this adaptation would not be a success without the many significant contributions of the entire Shondaland team. This two-season pickup is a strong vote of confidence in our work.”

“Bridgerton” Season 4 might not be released until 2026

Seasons of “Bridgerton” take eight months to film before post-production takes place, which means Season 4 might not be released on Netflix until 2026.

Executive producer and showrunner Jess Brownell told TheWrap a yearly release schedule is highly unlikely.

“I’ll be honest, yearly is probably out of the cards. This is such a giant production. It is like making eight short feature films, just in terms of how many storylines we have to write, and then the production obviously is an enormous undertaking,” she said. “We are doing everything in our power to start releasing seasons more quickly, but once a year might be a hard target to hit.”

Penelope will continue to write Lady Whistledown under her name

The end of season 3 saw Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) forced to reveal her identity as the trust Lady Whistledown. Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel) gave her blessing to continue the column, but as any gentle reader knows, that blessing could be revoked just as quickly as it was offered in the first place.

But Julie Andrews might still be part of the show

So what of Lady Whistledown narrator Julie Andrews? Brownell told TheWrap they’re working on ways to keep her involved moving forward.

“It’s Julie Andrews — I’m obsessed with her,” Brownell told TheWrap. “I would hate to lose her from the show. While she is, in many ways, the voice of Penelope when she was trying to hide herself, I also think she’s just become so iconic as the voice of Lady Whistledown. So we’re playing with different ideas in Season 4, and people have to wait and see where we go with that.”

Francesca and Michaela will be a major focus

Newlyweds Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli) ended season 3 by moving to Scotland with Francesca’s sister Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and John’s cousin Michaela. As fans of the book series already know, Michaela is a gender-swapped version of Michael from “When He Was Wicked.”

In the book, Michael falls in love with Francesca immediately. The pair ultimately marry after John’s death and raise two children together.

“I want to be clear that we’re not trying to undercut anything about her relationship with John,” Brownell told TheWrap. “She has a real connection with him that is based in companionship, friendship, respect and common interests, and it is a very valid form of love. What we’ll be continuing to explore for Francesca is more about how important or not passion is to her in a relationship.”

Benedict might meet his true love

Benedict Bridgerton had a major romantic and sexual awakening in season 3 through his relationship with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New) and Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio). If season 4 follows the book “An Offer From a Gentleman,” Benedict is due to meet Sophie, the love of his life, at his mother’s masquerade ball in season 4.

While there’s no guarantee that Benedict and Sophie will get together on the small screen, her introduction is very much still on tap. As showrunner Jess Brownell told TheWrap, “The introduction of Sophie is definitely still in the cards, but we are going to continue to explore his fluidity.”

Benedict’s sexuality will continue to be explored in future seasons.

“This is not the end of that storyline,” Brownell said. “As any fluid person knows, fluidity is a part of your identity, whether or not you end up with a man, a woman or a nonbinary person.”

Eloise’s future isn’t set

Many fans had pegged Eloise as potentially queer, but in Season 3 it’s revealed that she’s more interested in her own pursuits than finding a match. Brownell said that arc will continue, but she may change her mind in the future.

“I think where she’s at right now, she’s just not that interested in romance. She really cares about her family relationships and she really cares about her friendships, and I think she still has some room for growth,” Brownell told TheWrap. “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.”

Cressida Cowper is likely returning

Jessica Madsen will likely return as Cressida Cowper, even though her character was shipped off to live with an aunt in Wales at the end of the show’s third season. While no plot points have been revealed, this could indicate Cressdia will get a shot at a redemption arc, something Brownell said she would like to see.

“I don’t think we’re done with Cressida,” Brownell said. “If I have my druthers, there’s more I’d like to do with her. It felt too early to give her a big happy ending. We’ve watched two seasons of her be a real bully, and I love understanding where that comes from,” she explained.

Most of the cast will return

While nothing has been made official yet, Season 2’s couple Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley have stated their desire to keep coming back for future seasons, as have Season 3 pairing Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. So Rege-Jean Page’s absence after co-leading Season 1 appears to be the exception, not the rule.

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