Bridgerton fans, the wait is over! Netflix has confirmed that season 4 will focus on the love story of Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Beckett.
The official Bridgerton X account teased, “Benedict Bridgerton’s Season 4 story? Let us pour some tea. 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.”
The first two seasons of Bridgerton adhered closely to Julia Quinn’s beloved book series, with season 1 showcasing Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset’s (Regé-Jean Page) romance from The Duke and I, and season 2 featuring Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma’s (Simone Ashley) love story from The Viscount Who Loved Me.
Related: Bridgerton: Jess Brownell, Luke Newton, and Nicola Couglan on the Friends to Lovers Journey
A Departure From the Book Series
While fans expected season 3 to follow this pattern, Shonda Rhimes, executive producer, hinted in March 2022 that the series would shake things up. “There’s eight Bridgerton siblings, so we’re planning on following each one of the siblings’ romantic stories,” Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight. “We’re not necessarily going in order, but we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their stories.”
In May 2022, Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, confirmed that her character and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) would take the spotlight in season 3, even though their story, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, is the fourth book in Quinn’s series.
Related: A Complete Guide to All the Bridgerton Books in Order
Why Was Benedict Bridgerton’s Story Skipped Last Season?
Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) romance with Sophie Beckett, featured in the third book, An Offer From a Gentleman, was skipped to give more attention to the dynamic between Colin and Penelope. Showrunner Jess Brownell explained to Variety, “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit.”
Brownell also shared with Entertainment Weekly in December 2023 that Benedict’s character needed more time for personal growth. “[We have] really [been] getting to know Pen and Colin. We’ve been watching Pen’s crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That’s a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change. This really felt like the right time to lean into what’s been set up with them. On the Benedict side, he’s such a fun character and such a fan favourite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down.”
Related: 10 Romantic Anthony Bridgerton Quotes To Make You Swoon
Who Is Playing Benedict’s Love Interest In Bridgerton Season 4?
According to Variety, Australian actress Yerin Ha is set to play Sophie Beckett, Benedict’s love interest in An Offer From A Gentleman. A local talent stepping into the world of the ton? We absolutely love to see it!
In the novel, Sophie Beckett, known as the “Lady in Silver”, is the illegitimate daughter of an earl and one of his maids. Raised in her father’s household, she was never publicly acknowledged as his daughter.
But who exactly is Sophie Beckett?
Yerin Ha has made her mark in various roles, including in Halo, Bad Behaviour, and Troppo. She’s perhaps best known for her portrayal of Kwan Ha in the Paramount+ adaptation of the “Halo” video games, appearing in both seasons. Her other credits include Aussie shows like Reef Break and Sissy. Up next, she’ll be featured in the Max prequel series Dune: Prophecy, set to premiere in November.
Should We Expect More Twists?
Season 3 also introduced a major twist by changing Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) love interest from Michael to Michaela (Masali Baduza). “The reveal of Michaela versus Michael — from the books — is something that I’ve been pitching from season 1 of the show,” Brownell told Teen Vogue. “My approach to telling a queer story on Bridgerton has been to look to the books for thematic cues. I didn’t want to just insert a queer character for queer character’s sake.”
She added, “My hope is that watching this season, people see how we’re telling a piece of that story, even starting in episode 1 of season 3 with Francesca, in terms of all of the debutantes having always imagined what they wanted their husbands to be like. Francesca realises, ‘I’ve never thought about that, actually. Why is that?’ It was a thread we were playing with.”
As we eagerly await the next season, it’s clear that Bridgerton continues to surprise and captivate us with its twists on the beloved stories.
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