Bridgerton season four part one premieres Jan. 29, 2026. Bridgerton follows the eight Bridgerton siblings as they navigate their own love stories in Regency era England. This upcoming season features Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), the extraverted artist of the Bridgerton family. His co-star will be Yerin Ha, who plays Sophie Maek. Fan-favorites Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), Francesca Stirling (Hannah Dodd), and Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) will be returning alongside one of the most popular Bridgerton couples, Kate Bridgerton (Simone Ashley) and the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey).
The previous three seasons spotlighted the rest of the siblings’ love stories: season one, with Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset; season two, with Anthony and Kate; and season three, with Colin and Penelope, which all builds anticipation for the continuing storyline of this new season.
The new season is based on the third book in the original Bridgerton series, An Offer From a Gentleman, written by Julia Quinn. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, the showrunner Jess Bronwell explained that the season will show set pieces from the book in the show, as well as reintroduce book characters. Lady Araminta Gun (Katie Leung), Sophie’s mom, and Sophie’s sisters, Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao) and Isabella Wei (Posy Li), are all set to return this season.
Featuring Cinderella-esque elements, this season kicks off with Lady Bridgerton’s masquerade ball, where Benedict Bridgerton sees a lady in silver, and with the help of Eloise, seeks to find her. Unbeknownst to him, she is actually not a lady of the ton, but a maid. He later meets Sophie again, this time knowing that she is a maid. Benedict falls in love with both Sophie and the lady in silver, without realizing that they are, in fact, the same person.
“I’m really excited about the new season because the previous season wasn’t as good as the first two seasons. I think that the new season is going to be really interesting to watch because it’s like Cinderella a little bit, since she’s (Sophie Maek) got a secret identity. I’m really excited for all the outfits too,” said junior Leah Gilliar-Smith.
While previous Bridgerton love stories have had obstacles, communication, scandal, duty versus desire, love triangles, and, of course, the famed Lady Whistledown in secret, this season is the first to focus on forbidden love through class and societal issues. This has been done through a Cinderella-inspired plot, calling reference back to the books that the show is based off. The masquerade ball and hidden identity call back Cinderella’s famous dress and midnight escape, which Sophie also must face. Like Cinderella, Sophie leaves behind an item: a glove. Benedict then uses this to search for his lady in silver.
“It’s definitely super Cinderella. She even has a silver dress like in the cartoon, and they have a secret dance at midnight. It’s a really sweet story, and I love how fairy tale it is,” said freshman Carmela Polydorou.
With Benedict at the forefront as he falls in love with Sophie, the season will also bring back the rest of the siblings. The only Bridgerton sibling not reappearing is Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne. However, this opens the possibility to catch a glimpse of both Anthony and Kate’s and Colin and Penelope’s happily ever after. Both couples have children at the time of this new season, and fans are eager to see the former season’s characters return.
“I’m upset about Daphne not returning, especially since she wasn’t in the last season much either. Season one was my favorite and I think Daphne’s love story just sort of disappeared, and I wish it would continue like Anthony’s and Colin’s. I’m really glad the rest of the cast is returning, though,” said junior Siena McGuffin.
There will be plenty more to come from the Bridgerton universe with seasons five and six already confirmed, and part two of season four airing on Feb. 26. Fans can expect to see more of their favorite characters on screen, and are already eagerly anticipating the next episodes.