Bridgerton drips and drabs

Following a sneak-peek first look at Bridgerton season four, centered on second brother Benedict and his mysterious love, Sophie, Netflix continues their Bridgerton drips and drabs with a date announcement and new teaser for the fourth season. The pining! The yearning! The longing looks! Give it to me now!

They are obviously all-in on the Cinderella aspect of Sophie and Benedict’s story, in which they meet at a masquerade ball and Benedict does not know the identity of the captivating “lady in silver”, including a shot of a single silver glove left behind on the steps, just like Cinderella’s glass slipper. I still have questions about how seriously the show will take Benedict and Sophie’s more grounded challenges, particularly their class divide and Sophie’s status as an illegitimate daughter. I re-read An Offer from a Gentleman over the summer and while, yes, the book ultimately handwaves the fact that in the real Regency period, Benedict and Sophie never would have been able to marry, I did follow-up on the many post-scripts author Julia Quinn has added to the Bridgerton series over the years, and there is a clear implication that Benedict essentially gives up society for Sophie. The only way to be with her is to not just leave London but to essentially leave the public life of the Bridgerton family.

Nothing about TV Benedict suggests this will be that complicated of a challenge, as he has never really fit into society and has always seemed disinterested and bored by it. But he IS a Bridgerton, and there ARE expectations. I remain very curious about how the show addresses the class issues in their story, and that question of what sacrifices we are willing to make for love. Let’s just hope they don’t give Benedict an asshole makeover like they did Anthony in season two. Don’t Make The Bridgerton Boys Assholes Challenge!

Season four, part one will premiere on January 29, 2026, with part two following on February 2026. That means Bridgerton will straddle the Valentine’s season. The two-part episode drops have worked well for Netflix on their biggest shows like Wednesday and Stranger Things. It helps keep the series in the media cycle beyond the initial 72-hour period following new episodes. I like that Netflix experiments with various release plans, just like with movies, network/streamers can and should be more willing to make adjustments and stop treating releases as a one-size-fits-all solution. Although I already know I will be super annoyed to wait a month for the conclusion of Benedict and Sophie’s story—all the best stuff is in the back half of the book.

Never mind that we also have the question of how Bridgerton changes now that Penelope Featherington Bridgerton is known to be Lady Whistledown. The series is keeping up with Julie Andrews narrating as Lady Whistledown, but in the books, Penelope’s identity is never publicly revealed. This is a huge change, and the show is inventing Penelope and Colin’s trajectory now. SUPER curious to see how they work with Whistledown going forward, since the central mystery of the first three seasons is now concluded. Also, I swear if they don’t find some way to bring Cressida Cowper back I will never forgive the Bridgertons for the way they screwed her over in season 3. Justice for Cressida Cowper!