Everything We Know About Bridgerton Season 4

I count down to a new season of Bridgerton like football fans count down to the Super Bowl. They are 108 and 118 days away, respectively. The official release date for Bridgerton Season 4 was just announced so now we know that on January 29, 2026 — with part two dropping in February —  we’ll get to see the romance play out between Benedict (Luke Thomspon) and his new love interest Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha). We’ve already watched Benedict’s older sister Daphne burn for Simon the Duke of Hastings, his big brother Anthony find love with the bane of his existence and object of all his desires Kate Sharma, and his little bro Colin take a memorable carriage ride and trip down the aisle with Penelope aka Lady Whistledown. Throughout those seasons, Benedict was the aloof middle brother, too busy drinking too much and partaking in gender-indiscriminate dalliances to want to settle down. That’s all going to change in January, starting with a masquerade ball and a chance meeting. 

Fans of the Bridgerton books have been waiting patiently for Benedict and Sophie’s story since theirs is considered one of the strongest of Julia Quinn’s storylines. And even if you aren’t a Bridgerton book truther, Benedict has consistently been one of the most intriguing characters on the show. He hasn’t found much romantic luck so far, but he also hasn’t wanted to. He’s a queer king who’s been prioritizing freedom over commitment. What will make Sophie the person that changes his mind? And how will Bridgerton incorporate Sophie and her family — the first major East Asian characters — into its cinematic universe? 

Below, here's everything you need to know about Bridgerton Season 4, including the plot, release date, teaser trailer, and what the cast and crew have said about the upcoming season. 

At the end of Bridgerton Season 3, Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) have worked through the issue of Penelope being the town gossip who repeatedly sullied the good Bridgerton name with her pen — as a fellow petty bitch, I am a Penelope apologist — and Colin refusing to see his best friend as the baddie she is, and are finally happily married with a baby boy. After ditching Lord Debling and getting well acquainted with the woman in the mirror, Penelope reveals herself as Lady Whistledown and realizes the value in the writing empire she has built. In Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton, this reveal also marks the end of Lady Whistledown’s column. While the future of Whistledown is unclear in the show, the Queen and Penelope seem to come to an understanding.“If [the Queen] affords me the chance to continue, I aim to wield my quill more responsibly,” Penelope says in the final episode of Season 3. “What is life without a little gossip?” the Queen responds and it’s safe to assume that Penelope Bridgerton will be allowed to keep writing. 

As for the other budding romances, at the end of Season 3 Lady Danbury gives her blessing for Lady Violet Bridgerton and her brother Lord Marcus Anderson to stop staring at each other longingly and actually start dating –  her reasoning being that she owes Violet for that time she had sex with her dad (a plot point from prequel series Queen Charlotte that I’m still trying to forget). Francesca and her new husband Sir John Kilmartin are headed to his estate in Scotland with Eloise and his cousin, Michaela Stirling (a character gender swapped from the books). My faves Anthony and Kate are headed to India to have their baby because Jonathan Bailey and Simon Ashley are booked and busy Anthony sweetly says he wants his children to know that part of their heritage. The Mondrichs, the only Black couple in the BCU, have mostly adjusted to their newfound wealth and status and — thank god — are as happily married as ever.

Season 3 ends with Benedict breaking up with Lady Tilley Arnold after a threesome with her friend Paul Suarez. Lady Tilley catches feelings for Benedict (if there’s one thing we know about the Bridgertons, they got that good D) but he’s just finally figuring out his sexuality and exploring himself so he opts to stay single and enjoy his freedom. 

Here’s what we know from the season’s official logline: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down -- until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother's masquerade ball.” In a teaser clip released from the season, we learn that the mysterious Lady in Silver is Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) and when they meet at Lady Bridgerton’s famed masquerade ball, Benedict is immediately down bad. In this Cinderella story, Benedict (with the reluctant help of his sister Eloise), sets out to find his masked lady. The twist: Sophie is actually a maid working for the lady of the house, Araminta Gun (Katie Leung). 

Here’s what else we know about the Season 4 plot, thanks to Netflix. Sophie Baek is “a resourceful maid for a demanding employer, disguises herself to attend Violet Bridgerton's masquerade ball, where her life changes drastically after meeting Benedict Bridgerton.” As for Benedict: “While managing Bridgerton House’s affairs during Anthony's honeymoon, Benedict, eager for new adventures, becomes the focus of Bridgerton's fourth season, remaining reluctant to settle down unlike his married brothers, until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother's masquerade ball.” 

The Bridgerton series diverged from the order of the books last season when they opted to focus on Colin and Penelope instead of Benedict. Now, it’s Benedict’s time. It’s exciting not just because Thompson has proven he is a wonderful actor and I’m betting the best leading man we’ve had since Anthony (Coughlan carried Newton last season) but also because it’s the first time we’re getting a queer lead character in a Bridgerton season.

“We had talked a lot in Season 1 and 2 about whether or not Benedict might be queer. But we felt like we didn’t want to just tell that story as a side story,” Showrunner Jess Brownell says to Netflix’s Tudum. “We wanted to give it a little bit more space, and we wanted to get to know the character and develop him first.” 

Benedict has been developed and I think he is the most fully formed and fleshed out character we’ve had as a lead so far. As the seasons progress, that’s natural, but it’s also clearly an intentional choice from the creative team. While we don’t know yet who will be the lead in Season 5 (it’s a toss up between Eloise and Francesca), we do know that every single Bridgerton sibling will get their moment to shine. 

"Everybody's going to have a main arc every season," executive producer Shonda Rhimes tells 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."

One of the most exciting parts of this season will be the introduction of Baek and her family, the first East Asian family in Bridgerton history. And because of Yerin Ha’s casting, they changed the character’s last name from the books. "A name is the first bit of identity that you share with the world, and that’s why changing a name can be so powerful,” Ha tells Netflix’s Tudum. “To make Sophie’s name fit someone who looks like me is really empowering. All credit to Jess Brownell, our showrunner… It’s a really nice way for me to feel like the role is fit for me, rather than me having to fit a certain mold. It’s amazing what it can do just in a psychological sense. So it means a lot that Jess did that for me."

Ha is a Korean-Australian actor who starred in Halo for two seasons and will be seen in the upcoming prequel series Dune: Prophecy. Playing Ha’s employer Lady Araminta Gun and the “evil stepmother” equivalent in the Cinderella archetype is Katie Leung, but Leung swears her character is just misunderstood. “I would never call her evil because I adore her — I think she's absolutely fabulous. She's just heavily misunderstood,” Leung says to Refinery29. “But if there's anything that I can say, I mean, the costumes. They're always brilliant on that show, but hers are something else.” 

Along with the costumes, we can’t wait to see the dynamic between Lady Araminta Gun and Sophie play out. What we know so far is that Sophie is going to have some challenges, and her working for Lady Gun will be one of them. "What drew me to Sophie was that she immediately has obstacles — something that she constantly has to overcome," Ha tells Tudum. "Whether it’s this battle around social status or trying to hide her feelings from Benedict."

Speaking of Benedict, here’s what Thompson says about the new season to Shondaland: “The main thing we can expect is that it’s a really nice mix of fairytale and reality. It’s a fairytale love story but it’s also got the Bridgerton element of trying to tether it to some sort of reality as well. We’ll see how that pans out.” Ha adds: “You can expect this an emotional tug of war, this push-and-pull between what their heart desires and what society desires for them.” 

And yes, you can expect all your favorite Bridgertons to be back. Colin and Penelope will be deep in their happily ever after, according to what Luke Newton says to Town & Country: “I'm excited for the happily ever after and to see what that brings… 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."

And on Good Morning America in August 2024, Jonathan Bailey confirmed he'll be back as Anthony for Season 4. "Being the elder brother, I'm going to be there to support the youngsters.” And Anthony’s better half, Kate, will also be back. Simone Ashley told Glamour in October 2024 that she will be making an appearance in Season 4: "I know that I am returning, but that’s all I can say. I absolutely adore the show, and the more I can be a part of it, the better. They’ve been really kind to work around my schedule."

Bridgerton Season 4 will be arriving in two parts in 2026. The first half premieres on January 29 and the second half arrives on February 26.