Topline
Netflix released a teaser for the newest season of its ultimate romance series on Valentine's Day with a sneak peak of "Bridgerton" season 4—introducing four new characters and confirming that several fan favorites will return to the screen in the new episodes.
Yerin Ha as Sophie Beckett and Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton.
Key Facts
A sneak peak video posted by Netflix Friday showed cast members goofing off in behind-the-scenes clips cut with the first footage from the new episodes—which are still in production—as well as more than a dozen still images from the set.
The season will focus on new leading couple Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who is “loath to settle down—until he meets a captivating Lady In Silver (Sophie Baek played by Yerin Ha) at his mother’s masquerade ball.”
The trailer included cameos from three new characters: Lady Araminta Gun, played by Katie Leung (best known for her role as Cho Chang in the later "Harry Potter" films) and her two daughters debuting on the marriage mart, Rosamund Li, played by Michelle Mao, and Posy Li, played by Isabella Wei.
It also confirmed the return of several fan-favorite stars from past seasons—Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton, Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma and Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton—and a still photo showed the last season’s leading couple, Penelope and Colin, with their growing family.
The teaser gave no indication as to how Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers will play into the new season after the mystery gossip columnist's identity was revealed in Season 3.
The new season is based on the third “Bridgerton” series book “An Offer From a Gentleman.”
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Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li, Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gao and Isabella Wei as Posy Li.
Crucial Quote
“I get really excited by how many unexpected twists you’ll get in Season 4," Thompson told Netflix’s Tudum.
What We Don’t Know
If this will be the end of Benedict’s bisexual storyline. In Season 3, the character confirmed his sexuality with a story involving a threesome—a departure from the book series, in which he's heterosexual. Showrunner Jess Brownell last year said that embracing his queerness helped the character discover how to be "true to himself."
When Does The New Season Of ‘bridgerton’ Release?
We don’t know. Netflix hasn't given any clues on when Season 4 will drop. The season will reportedly finish filming in April but the streamer has put out new episodes anywhere between four and 14 months after filming wrapped for previous seasons.
Key Background
Each season of the hit show “Bridgerton,” based on a series of books by author Julia Quinn, focuses on the love story of one of the wealthy family’s eight children in Regency-era London. The show has broken records for both Netflix and the overall streaming industry since its first season released in 2021. The second season was viewed for 627.11 million hours in its first four weeks to become Netflix’s most-watched English show ever at the time, breaking the first season record of 625.49 million hours over the same period. The third season was the top streaming original series of 2024, according to Nielsen, racking up 21.42 billion viewing minutes over the year. “Bridgerton” is also famous for its race and gender inclusivity despite its setting. The show has taken liberties with the original series’ books, especially in introducing more LGBTQ+ and unconventional storylines. The exploration of Benedict's sexuality is the most obvious example, but "Bridgerton" also controversially swapped the gender of a new character last season, which set up the show to include a lesbian love story down the line.
Big Number
8. That’s how many books there are in the original Bridgerton series.
