Nicola Coughlan, “Bridgerton”
Liam Daniel/Netflix
The season has come to an end, and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) is no longer a low-profile presence. By the end of Bridgerton season 3, she’s not only the wife of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), but also the proud bearer of the pseudonym Lady Whistledown. That’s right, Penelope finally revealed her true identity as a gossip columnist to the ton. And she did it of her own volition. And although she was very much afraid that her biggest secret would be exposed, the season ended with Penelope embracing her alternate life as Lady Whistledown.
Bridgerton has been renewed for a fourth season in 2021. The news came as no surprise, given the popularity of the Netflix series based on Julia Quinn’s historical romance novels. Now that season three is over, it’s time to shift the focus to eternal bachelor Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), whose search for a spouse will be the main storyline of season four.
The Netflix show has made a slight change to Quinn’s series order — while Benedict is a central character in book three, “An Offer from a Gentleman,” Bridgerton is adapting book four, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” in season three, opting to tell Pauline’s story first — so it’s only natural that Benedict will finally be back in the spotlight.
Here’s everything we know so far about Bridgerton season 4, including when it will premiere (hint: it won’t be for a while), who it will focus on, and which cast members will be returning.
More about Bridgerton:
Who is Bridgerton season 4 about?
We finally know which Bridgerton sibling will be in the spotlight in Season 4. After telling Lady Tilly Arnold (Hannah New) in Season 3 that he had no plans to settle down, Benedict Bridgerton is stepping up to find his dream partner. The subject of Julia Quinn’s third book in the series, Benedict has been a supporting character in previous seasons, but he’s ready to step into the spotlight after beginning to experiment with his sexuality in Season 3.
Netflix’s official synopsis for season 4 reads, “The fourth season of Bridgerton focuses on bohemian younger son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Though his older siblings are happily married, Benedict is reluctant to settle down — until he meets a captivating woman in a silver dress at his mother’s masked ball.”
Luke Newton and Luke Thompson, “Bridgerton”
Liam Daniel/Netflix
Bridgerton season 4 teaser
Netflix announced Benedict’s promotion to lead role with a short teaser, which shows Thompson in an unconventional role receiving the masquerade costume that will be familiar to fans of the original.
When will Bridgerton season 4 be released?
Unfortunately, Bridgerton is not expected to return until 2026 at the earliest. Brownell spoke to The Hollywood Reporter about the schedule for season 4. “We’re on a two-year pace, but we’re trying to speed things up, but that’s about it,” she said. “We’re trying to get the season out sooner, but it takes eight months to shoot, and then we have to edit it and dub it into all the languages.” The showrunner said that the writers for the season are nearing the end of their work. But there’s still a long way to go before Bridgerton season 4 is available on Netflix.
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Bridgerton season 4 cast
Here are the characters expected to return in Bridgerton season 4:
Main cast:
Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington)
Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton)
Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma)
Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton) Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton)
Florence Hunt (Hyacinth Bridgerton)
Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury)
Golda Rocheubel as Queen Charlotte
Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown
Where to watch Bridgerton
Bridgerton seasons 1 to 3 are available to stream on Netflix.
