Here’s everything we know about season four so far.

Benedict’s love story is the focus of the fourth season

In July, it was officially announced that Benedict would take on the lead role in season 4. In a video posted by Netflix, Thompson is presented with a suit for the masquerade ball – which was hinted at in the season 3 finale.

In the episode, as Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) prepared to leave for Scotland with Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd), John Stirling (Victor Alli) and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza), she assured Benedict that she would only be gone until next year.

“Do you think Mom would let me miss her masked ball?” she said.

Benedict, still not ready to settle down, replied: “I will be there, hiding behind a mask and avoiding marriageable ladies like the plague.”

This not-so-subtle moment was a reference to Benedict’s novel “An Offer From a Gentleman,” which is part of Julia Quinn’s “Bridgerton” book series.

In the third book, inspired by Cinderella, Benedict meets a woman named Sophie Beckett at a masked ball. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie is the servant of a rude stepmother named Araminta Gunningworth. At the end of the book, they confess their love and marry.

In June, Brownell told Deadline that Benedict would continue to “explore his versatility,” but remained tight-lipped about when he might meet his future wife.

Netflix’s official logline for the next season reads: “The fourth season of ‘Bridgerton’ focuses on unconventional second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Although his older and younger brothers are both happily married, Benedict refuses to settle down – until he meets a charming lady in silver at his mother’s masked ball.”

“Halo” actress Yerin Ha is reportedly set to play Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s wife

On Friday, Variety reported that Ha, who was most recently seen in the Paramount+ television series adaptation of the video game series “Halo,” will play Benedict’s lover. (Representatives for Ha, Netflix and Shondaland, which produces the series, did not respond to Variety’s request for comment.)

The Australian-Korean actor is reportedly not only set to star in the next season of “Bridgerton,” but will also appear in the upcoming “Dune” prequel series “Dune: Prophecy.”

Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan will reprise their roles as Colin and Penelope Bridgerton in season 4

Coughlan told TheWrap that she and Newton will return in season four, but they “don’t know anything about it.” Meanwhile, showrunner Jess Brownell told the magazine that she would like to see the couple continue on the show beyond season four.

“We definitely hope to bring her back in the next seasons because I think there’s more story there,” she said.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Brownell explained in detail that Polin will be part of a larger ensemble.

“I think there’s a little more to tell story-wise with Whistledown,” she said. “Whistledown has been the narrative glue of every season. Now that Penelope is publicly known as Whistledown, I want to see more of that. So we’ll definitely continue with them next season.”

Newton also told Teen Vogue that he has committed to appearing on the show indefinitely.

“I feel very connected to the show…like I said, I just love the people,” he said. “I love my job. I love my role on the show, so I can’t imagine going anywhere. I just want to finish the stories. I would say there’s a lot of stuff to be wrapped up in season four, so yeah, that’s why I’m here.”

Jonathan Bailey has cleared part of his schedule to return as Anthony and Simone Ashley said Kate is “here to stay”

Fans of Kanthony have been wondering how long Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) will remain on the show after starring in the second season.

The main cast of previous seasons have mostly retired after completing their story arcs, but Anthony and Kate are the new heads of the Bridgerton family, which means they have to stay.

In season three, Anthony and Kate appear in four episodes and often disappear while traveling around the world. The writers probably did this to explain the characters’ disappearances so that Ashley and Bailey could film other projects.

In season three, episode seven, Anthony and Kate embark on a trip to India so Kate can visit her homeland and give birth to her first child. While this seems like a convenient way to write the couple out of the series entirely, that may not be the case.

Brownell, for her part, said she hopes to see more of Kanthony on the show.

“We love them so much and they’re both so incredibly talented and we want to support them as they pursue other projects, but at the same time leave open the option for them to return when and if they’re able to,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “So leaving India is in some ways a story device that allows us to keep the door open.”

Ashley told reporter Josh Rom during a screening of the third season of “Bridgerton” in June that she would return for the fourth season.

“Kate Sharma will stay,” said Ashley.

It might be more difficult to get Bailey back, as he was just cast in the lead role in the next Jurassic World film. However, during a recent appearance on Good Morning America, Bailey said he had “blocked out a couple of weeks in my schedule” to return for season four and that he was excited about the scripts.

This is not the last time we have seen Cressida Cowper

Season three of “Bridgerton” gives more insight into Cressida’s (Jessica Madsen) difficult home life and shows how far she will go to get out of her situation.

During the season, she tries to take Lady Whistledown’s earnings so she can get the bounty and not have to marry an older man, but the plan backfires. Then, when she learns that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, she tries to blackmail her so she can flee town with the money and avoid being sent to live with her aunt in Wales.

But Cressida is outwitted and is last seen being sent in a carriage to her relatives after tarnishing the reputation of the Cowper family.

In separate interviews with The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly and The Los Angeles Times, Brownell said Cressida’s story is not over yet.

“It felt a little early for her to have a happy ending this season because we’ve seen two seasons where she’s been a real bully to Penelope. She still has a little bit of growing to do, but I want to give her a happy ending at some point,” she told EW.

“We want to see more of Jessica Madsen,” Brownell told THR. “So we wanted to leave her story a little more open so we could find an ending for her in future seasons.”

The premiere of the fourth season of “Bridgerton” will probably not take place until 2026

In June, “Bridgerton” showrunner Jess Brownell told the Hollywood Reporter that fans will have to wait two years for the next season.

“We’re working on getting the seasons out quicker, but it takes eight months to shoot them, then they have to be edited and dubbed into all the languages,” Brownell said. “And the writing takes a long time too, so we’re at about a two-year pace, we’re trying to speed it up, but somewhere in that range.”

Brownell added that the writers are almost finished with the scripts for the fourth season.

“I think it’s some of my best work and the best work of my writing team,” Brownell said. “Our collaboration has just really settled in and we’re hitting our stride, so I can’t wait for the fans to see what we have.”

In a post-mortem interview with Business Insider about the season three finale, Lady Danbury actor Adjoa Andoh said that filming for the new season is scheduled to begin “sometime in the fall.”

Brownell confirmed this in an interview with the LA Times, saying that filming would take place in the fall partly for narrative reasons, but also for practical reasons.

“It will still be just as lush and colorful, but more in those warm autumn colors instead of the pastel tones,” she said. “It will still some Pastel colors so it doesn’t look like a completely different show.”

This means that the fourth season will likely premiere sometime in 2026, but there is no confirmed release date yet.