Why Benedict Bridgerton deserves the spotlight in 'Bridgerton' Season 4
LONDON, ENGLAND: As 'Bridgerton' Season 3 concludes with Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) having a happy ending, the spotlight now turns to the other siblings of the Bridgerton family.
Each season of Netflix's historical romance series focuses on one of the eight Bridgerton siblings- Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth.
As Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), and Colin are already out of marriage mart, finding their happily-ever-after in three seasons of 'Bridgerton', fans have begun to wonder who'll take center stage in 'Bridgerton' Season 4.
Gregory (Will Tilston) and Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) are too young to make their debut in society, which leaves us with Francesca (Hannah Dodd), Eloise (Claudia Jessie), and Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson).
Who will be the lead of 'Bridgerton' Season 4?
Netflix's team and the cast of 'Bridgerton' have been tight-lipped about which sibling would lead Season 4. However, the climax of Season 3 has dropped hints about the direction the series might take.
While Colin and Penelope are the star couple of Season 3, Francesca finds her match with Lord Kilmartin (Victor Alli) and opts for a low-key marriage at the 'Bridgerton' mansion.
She sets off to Scotland with her husband, and unexpectedly, she is joined by her sister Eloise to explore the world.
Now that Francesca and Eloise will be in Scotland, we expect to see much less of them in Season 4, even though Eloise told Benedict she would be back next year.
Even though Francesca found her match in Season 3, she deserves her season. However, we may not be ready for it just yet.
Season 3 is the first time we are getting to know Francesca since she was absent in Season 1 and had no plot in Season 2. It might be hasty for her to take center stage, especially considering she was recast in Season 3.
Despite marrying Lord Kilmartin, she was blown away when she saw his cousin Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). A moment is all fans needed to know that a gay love story awaits Francesca in the upcoming seasons.
Meanwhile, as Eloise is set for her adventures, we know that there's still time before she finds a match for herself.
That leaves us with Benedict whose story has already been pushed in the series once. Even though Netflix isn't following the chronology of Julia Quinn's book series, it would be disheartening to have his story being side-lined again.
Now those who have read Julia Quinn's 'An Offer From a Gentleman', would know that Benedict finds his match, Sophie Beckett, at his mother’s Masquerade Ball.
Diverging from the books, Season 3 hinted that Benedict Bridgerton is either gay or bisexual, which makes it even more interesting to have him as Season 4's star.
What do fans feel about Benedict Bridgerton being the star of 'Bridgerton' Season 4?
Fans have argued that Benedict must lead the next season. A fan wrote on Reddit, "Logistically, it’s Benedict’s season next. Not because he’s “too old” looking but because you have to build up to Eloise’s and to Francesca’s stories."
"There's that and the fact that both Francesca's and Eloise's romantic plots could use a little more build up whereas Benedict's character arc really needs something big to happen. They haven't had much for him to do whereas Eloise still has room to grow and we know certain things need to happen first for both her and Francesca's romantic arcs to start that involve other characters," argued another fan.
Another Reddit comment reads, "I want to see Benedict's story in Season 4 since I'm tired of Benedict doing the same thing (partying and carousing/raking) for the last few seasons and I want to finally meet Sophie Beckett (one of my favorite characters in Bridgerton). Plus, it doesn't seem fair that Benedict's story gets pushed back again."
When will 'Bridgerton' Season 4 release?
Netflix typically takes about two years to release a new season of the popular historical romance series.
'Bridgerton' Season 1 debuted in December 2020, followed by Season 2's premiere in March 2022, and Season 3's arrival in May 2024.
Though Netflix has not yet announced a release date for 'Bridgerton' Season 4, we expect it to arrive sometime in 2026.
In a conversation with The Hollywood Reporter at the UK premiere for Part 2, Showrunner Jess Brownell said that fans would have to wait for two years.
Brownell said, "We are working to try and put the seasons out more quickly, but they do take eight months to film and then they have to be edited and then they have to be dubbed into every language. And the writing takes a very long time as well, so we're kind of on a two-year pace, we're trying to speed up, but somewhere in that range."
How to stream 'Bridgerton'?
'Bridgerton' Seasons 1, 2, and 3 are available exclusively on Netflix. Membership to the OTT platform ranges from $6.99 to $22.99 a month.
You can also buy a yearly subscription plan for Netflix.
'Bridgerton' Season 4 will also arrive on Netflix.
'Bridgerton' Season 3 trailer