Bridgerton chooses a side, and it isn’t romance

Bridgerton returns for its fourth season today, this time adapting Julia Quinn’s An Offer From a Gentleman, in which second Bridgerton son Benedict finally falls in love. Luke Thompson takes center stage as Benedict and he is joined by Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek, a newcomer to London with her fair share of secrets. Benedict, who is struggling to keep up with the duties of running the family estate while Anthony is in India, is still adrift in life, with no real direction or purpose. His mother would like him to settle down, and so would the queen, who decides that rather than declare a diamond for the season, she’ll name Benedict her most eligible bachelor.

Amidst Benedict’s personal life woes, he meets a mysterious and captivating woman in silver at his mother’s masquerade ball. She is joyful and present in the moment in a way the typically bored socialites aren’t, and Benedict is taken with her simple pleasure in the beauty of the ball. They kiss at midnight and then she disappears, leaving behind one glove. It’s a Cinderella story, down to the evil stepmother. For the unknown lady in silver is Sophie—don’t worry, this isn’t a spoiler, it’s all in episode one—and she works as a maid in the household of Araminta, Lady Penwood (Katie Leung), Sophie’s sort-of stepmother, as Sophie is the illegitimate daughter of the late Lord Penwood.

Bridgerton leans more into the downstairs world of Sophie and the other family retainers who have been bit players in previous seasons of the show, which gives season four a distinctly Downtown Abbey—or Upstairs, Downstairs—feel. It’s not bad, and it is nice to see more of the working class as people with their own lives and interests beyond those shared with the families they work for, but it does mean that Bridgerton has fully shifted away from being a show about romance.

Oh, sure, there is romance in season four, just as there was in previous seasons. But while season one was firmly rooted in the love story of Daphne and Simon, the most recent seasons of Bridgerton have been ensemble dramas in which siblings have romantical problems, and that is true in season four, too. Bridgerton is simply not about romance, not as its main focus. Its main focus is the story of the Bridgertons, and to a slightly lesser extent the Featheringtons, families living in a fantasy version of Regency England (although they do finally acknowledge that the Napoleonic Wars have, in fact, been happening this whole time).

It’s not bad, per se, but it does mean if you’re looking for romance, Bridgerton is not really pushing those buttons. There are some lovely moments, such as Francesca (Hanna Dodd) and John (Victor Alli), two introverts, struggling to get their sex life on track, and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) discovering a later in life love, But there are also less interesting sub-plots about Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) trying to appease the queen (Golda Rosheuvel), and Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) trying to exit the queen’s service (not exactly beating those rumors that Andoh is unhappy and wants to leave the show). There is also a continuing subplot about the social rise of the Mondrich family, which again, is not bad in and of itself, but also is not a romance.

It’s hard not to reconsider Bridgerton, a series based on beloved romance novels, in the wake of Heated Rivalry, which is also based on beloved romance novels. Heated Rivalry is explicitly about romance, anything that is not about or supporting the romance of Shane Hollander and Ilya Rozanov simply doesn’t matter to the show. Even the secondary love story of Scott Hunter and Kip Grady exists so that Shane and Ilya are motivated to pursue their love. Everything about the world of Heated Rivalry is calibrated around Shane and Ilya’s romance, it is the singular focus of the narrative. And that is why it’s so effective, the show is drenched in romance, lust, yearning, intimacy, and anything that doesn’t fan the flames of Shane and Ilya’s relationship is simply whittled down to bare necessities. Which is what a romance novel is! It’s a book about romance!

In contrast, Bridgerton feels embarrassed of its romance novel roots. The first season embraced it, but I can’t help but feel the two worst things to happen to Bridgerton were everyone going gaga for the sex scenes in season one, and the show being nominated for Outstanding Drama Emmys. Ever since the first season, the show has been downplaying sex and intimacy in favor of broader storytelling focusing on social lives and social climbs and illicit authoress plots. Again, a lot of that material does work, it’s not unenjoyable to watch, but it also is not romantic.

The best scenes contained within “volume 1” of season four are between Benedict and Sophie, either pining for each other or spending time alone together, discovering common interests. Their relationship is grounded in real conflict—as a gentleman, Benedict cannot marry a maid. There is a fundamental roadblock to their relationship, one that seems insurmountable. Sophie has everything to lose if she is discovered dallying with Benedict, it challenges Benedict’s sense of self as a gentleman and his desire for Sophie to stay away from her. It’s compelling! It’s yearning! It’s ROMANTIC!

It’s about one-third of the first four episodes. Because we also have to check in with all the other siblings, killing time with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who is still struggling not to be entirely heinous to her sisters—her relationship with Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) this season is a retread of her relationship with Daphne in season one—we have to catch up with whatever drama the queen is stirring up, and we’re supposed to care about the Mondriches now, it never ends.

Again, there is nothing inherently wrong with Bridgerton shifting gears and becoming an ensemble drama that features sex scenes, but it does mean if you’re looking for romantic entertainment, Bridgerton isn’t it. If you want a story about falling in love in the face of impossible odds and a couple who pines endlessly as they struggle to find their way together, watch Heated Rivalry. If you want an ensemble drama about a family that often finds themselves in romantic scrapes, watch Bridgerton.

Bridgerton has decided not to be all about the romance, and the result is a show that looks fantastic but is unevenly engaging. When it’s focused on Benedict and Sophie, Bridgerton season four soars, but every time the focus strays from them, it stumbles. Bridgerton is based on a story about a specific thing—people falling in love—but when the world of the show expands beyond that, it struggles to match the energy and focus of the love story. Bridgerton is no longer “just a romance”. It’s a family ensemble, except they have yet to make all members of the family equally compelling. At this point, that is a feature, not a bug.

Bridgerton season 4, vol. 1, is now streaming exclusively on Netflix. Vol. 2 will premiere on February 26, 2026.