Who Does Season 4 of 'Bridgerton' Focus On? Netflix Reveals the Season's Leading Man

Now that Penelope Featherington has found her happily ever after with her longtime crush Colin Bridgerton, viewers are already looking for hints as to who the next season of Bridgerton will follow. The Netflix adaptation has been following the timeline of events chronologically as they happen in the novels by Julia Quinn — though they're not necessarily following the order of publication.

Now that Season 3 has wrapped, viewers are already looking for news of Season 4. So who will it follow?

Season 4 of Bridgerton will follow the romantic journey of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Newton), the artistic and sexually adventurous member of the esteemed Bridgerton family.

Netflix announced on July 23, 2024, that Season 4 of Bridgerton will feature Benedict in pursuit of a Lady in Silver. According to Netflix’s logline, “Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down.” His perspective shifts after he meets a mysterious woman, the Lady in Silver, at Violet Bridgerton’s (Ruth Gemmell) renowned masquerade ball.

Luke told Tudum, “Benedict has always been a little lost — or free, depending on how you look at it. But now he's seeking something more substantial within himself.” Jess Brownell, the series’ showrunner, expressed her excitement to Tudum about exploring Benedict’s love story, especially after his journey of exploring his sexuality before settling down.

The Season 3 finale of Bridgerton set the groundwork for the adaptation of When He Was Wicked, the title that follows Francesca's story after her marriage to John Stirling, the Earl of Kilmartin. In the novel series, Francesca eventually finds love with John's cousin, Michael, following John's early death.

At the end of the season, though, Francesca finds herself breathless at the sight of Michaela, not Michael.

It's a change that adds a queer storyline to the show, while also building on the foundation the novels have already set in place. This has been a somewhat controversial change, making some fans of the books angry, but Julia stood by the decision in a post made on Facebook. In it, she reaffirmed that she felt confident in the show's decision to change Michael's gender and have Francesca fall in love with a woman, and also revealed her season is being discussed.

"I'm confident now that when Francesca has her Bridgerton season, it will be the most emotional and heart-wrenching story of the show, just like When He Was Wicked has always been the true tear-jerker of the Bridgerton book series," she wrote in the Facebook post. "Honestly, it may pack even more of a punch, since John is getting a lot more time on the screen than he ever did on the page, and I think it's fair to say we've all fallen a little bit in love with him."

Though she didn't unveil what role Francesca's story will play in the upcoming season, it's clear that her love story will be told in bits and pieces across the next few seasons. According to People, Julia said there are only "four [seasons] contracted, but Shonda [Rhimes] is saying eight, and she's the boss." If anyone knows how to hold an audience over many seasons of a television show, it's Shonda!