'Bridgerton' finally confirmed its season 4 lead — here's everything we know about the next season

Season three of "Bridgerton," which was focused on Colin and Penelope's love story, recently ended. Here's what we know about "Bridgerton" season 4.

• Season four of "Bridgerton" is in the works, and will likely arrive in 2026.
• The next season will focus on Benedict Bridgerton's (Luke Thompson) love story. 
• Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan will reprise their roles as Colin and Penelope.

"Bridgerton" fans have been patiently waiting, and Benedict Bridgerton's season is finally coming.

Season three of the Netflix series, centered on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington's (Nicola Coughlan) relationship, concluded with the release of part two in June.

In giving Polin a happy ending, "Bridgerton" also teased that Benedict (Luke Thompson), the second-eldest sibling, would get the main character treatment next season. And now, his status as the lead is officially confirmed.

Here's everything we know about season four, so far.

Benedict's love story will be the focus of season 4

An official announcement about Benedict being the season four lead was made on Tuesday. In a video posted by Netflix, Thompson is handed a suit for the masquerade ball — which was teased in the season three finale.

As Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) prepared to head off to Scotland with Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd), John Stirling (Victor Alli), and Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza) in the episode, she assured Benedict that she'd only be gone until next year.

"Do you think Mama would ever let me miss her Masquerade Ball?" she said.

Benedict, still not ready to settle down, replied: "I will be there, hiding out behind a mask, avoiding eligible ladies like the plague."

That not-so-subtle moment was a nod to Benedict's novel "An Offer From a Gentleman," which is part of Julia Quinn's "Bridgerton" book series.

In the third, "Cinderella"-inspired book, Benedict meets a woman named Sophie Beckett at a masquerade ball. Unbeknownst to him, Sophie is a servant to a rude stepmother named Araminta Gunningworth. By the end of the book, they express their love for each other and get married.

Back in June, Brownell told Deadline that Benedict would continue "exploring his fluidity," but played coy about when he might meet his future wife.

The official logline for next season reads: "The fourth season of 'Bridgerton' turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). 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."

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 publication that she'd like the pair to continue on the show beyond season four.

"We will definitely hope to bring them back in future seasons because I think there's more story there," she said.

Brownell elaborated in an interview with Entertainment Weekly, saying that Polin will shift to being part of the larger ensemble.

"I do think that there is a bit more to tell story-wise with Whistledown," she said. "Whistledown has been the narrative glue of every season. Now that Penelope's out publicly as Whistledown, I want to see more of what that's like. So, we will continue with them next season for sure."

Newton similarly told Teen Vogue that he's committed to being on the show indefinitely.

"I feel very invested in the show… like I said before, I just love the people," he said. "I love my job. I love my role in the show, so I can't see myself going anywhere. I just want to finish the stories off. I would say there's still stuff to get sorted in season four, so yeah, that's why I'm there."

Kanthony may also return

Kanthony fans have been wondering how long Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) will stay on the show after leading season two.

Previous season leads have largely stepped away after their story arc was done, but Anthony and Kate are the new heads of the Bridgerton household, which means they have to stick around.

In season three, Anthony and Kate show up in four episodes, often disappearing on trips around the world. The show writers likely did this to explain the characters' disappearance so Ashley and Bailey could film other projects.

In season three, episode seven, Anthony and Kate leave for a trip to India so Kate can visit her home and give birth to their first child. Though this looks like a convenient way to write the couple off the show, that may not be the case.

Ashley told reporter Josh Rom during a "Bridgerton" season three screening premiere on Wednesday that she will return for season four.

"Kate Sharma is here to stay," Ashley said.

It might be more tricky to bring back Bailey since he was just cast as the lead in the next "Jurassic World" movie. However, Bailey has not yet said he's leaving "Bridgerton."

Brownell, for her part, said that 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 their ability to do other projects, while still leaving the door open for them to return when and if they're able," she told Entertainment Weekly. "So the India send-off is a plot device in certain ways that allows us to leave the door open."

This isn't the last we've seen of Cressida Cowper

Season three of "Bridgerton" gives more insight into Cressida's (Jessica Madsen) difficult home life and the lengths she'll go to in order to get out of her situation.

During the season, she attempts to take credit for Lady Whistledown so she can receive the reward money and avoid marrying an older man, but the plan backfires. Then, when she learns that Penelope is Lady Whistledown, she attempts to blackmail her with the intention of using the money to escape town and avoid being sent off to live with her aunt in Wales.

But Cressida is outsmarted and is last seen being sent away in a carriage to live with her relative after tarnishing the Cowper family's reputation.

In separate interviews with The Hollywood Reporter, Entertainment Weekly, and The Los Angeles Times, Brownell said that Cressida's story isn't over yet.

"It felt a little early in this season for her to get a happily ever after just because we've watched two seasons of her being a real bully to Penelope. She has a little bit more growth to do, but I do want to give her a happy ending eventually," she told EW.

"We want to see more from Jessica Madsen," Brownell told THR. "So we wanted to leave her story a little bit more open-ended so that we can craft an ending for her in future seasons."

'Bridgerton' season 4 won't come out 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 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," Brownell said. "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."

Brownell added that the writers are nearly done with the season four scripts.

"I feel like it's some of my best work and my writers room's best work," Brownell said. "We've just really gelled our collaboration, and we're firing on all cylinders, so I can't wait for fans to see what we have."

In a season three finale post-mortem interview with Business Insider, Lady Danbury actor Adjoa Andoh said that filming for the new season is set to begin "sometime in the autumn."

Brownell confirmed this in an interview with the LA Times and said that they're filming in the fall partly for storytelling purposes but also out of practicality.

"It's still going to be just as lush and colorful, but just more in those warm fall colors instead of the pastels," she said. "There will still be some pastels, so it won't look like a totally different show."

This means that season four is likely to premiere at some point in 2026, but there's no confirmed release date yet.