"Bridgerton" Season 4: The new episodes will be released in 2026 – and seasons 5 and 6 are also confirmed

"Bridgerton" has been renewed for two more seasons. Plus, season 4 will be released as early as 2026.

After "Polin" finally found their happy ending in season 3, "Bridgerton" is already turning the spotlight on its next leading man: none other than the charming, artistic and pansexual Benedict, played by Luke Thompson.

Netflix announced the news with a video that compiled some of the best moments of the second eldest "Bridgerton" brother, Benedict, before we see Thompson, casually dressed and holding a script, opening his hotel room door. "I want you to try on a suit," he's told, "it's for the masquerade ball." "Then come in," he replies, grinning.

The logline states: "The fourth season of 'Bridgerton' focuses on second son Benedict, who leads a more unconventional life... Although his older and younger brothers are both happily married , Benedict isn't ready to settle down—until he meets a bewitching lady in silver at his mother's masquerade ball."

In February 2025, the first images from the new episodes were finally released. They show the very same masked ball at which Luke Thompson as Benedict and Yerin He as Sophie Beckett appear to exchange a passionate kiss. The glances they exchange behind their masks also testify to their romantic chemistry. However, as another image from the new season shows, the "bewitching lady in silver" appears not to be a lady, but rather an employee. A fact that, in the Regency era, will certainly pose some challenges to their relationship. And what role will the new characters Rosamund Li (Michelle Mao), Lady Araminta Gao (Katie Leung), and Posy Li (Isabella Wei) play?

The few snippets are certainly already stoking anticipation for the fourth season of the hit series. An Instagram post inspired by one of Lady Whistledown's legendary letters has now revealed that season 4 of "Bridgerton" is set to release as early as 2026. But that's not all: As fans of the hit series have learned, it is now officially being expanded to include seasons 5 and 6.

Helmed by showrunner Jess Brownell and producer Shonda Rhimes, the upcoming eight-episode series is based on the third book in the "Bridgerton" series by Julia Quinn, "An Offer From a Gentleman." Fans had previously assumed the third season would center on Benedict's romance, but instead, the love story of Penelope and Colin was brought forward from the fourth novel, "Romancing Mr. Bridgerton." In the book, Benedict falls in love with Sophie Beckett, the daughter of an earl who is hidden from public view by her wicked stepmother and forced to work as a housemaid. After Sophie sneaks into Lady Bridgerton's annual masquerade ball, she and Benedict have a Cinderella-meets-Romeo-and-Juliet moment, after which Benedict is enchanted by the masked beauty. When she later escapes, he vows to track her down by any means necessary.

Filming for the fourth season officially began on September 16, 2024. In the coming months, the love story of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and his mysterious love interest Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) will be captured on film in London – at Shepperton Studios, which covers approximately 8,000 square meters.

"Benedict has always been a little lost—or free, depending on how you look at it," Thompson told the streaming service following the announcement. "But now he's trying to find something solid within himself. His identity has always been a bit of a question mark, but that doesn't seem to really bother him. It often feels like... 'You're either this or that.' He's figuring it out," Brownell agrees, adding, "In season three, he's at a point where he's really exploring more sides of himself. I think he feels things very deeply. It was important for him to explore the fullness of his personality before settling down. He's someone who has a big appetite, and we wanted to see him live a big life before he goes into settled mode. I'm excited to see where he goes in season four."

In season 4, Katie Leung joins the cast as Lady Araminta Gun, a twice-widowed woman. Her daughters, Rosamund (Michelle Mao) and Posy Li (Isabella Wei), are new to the marriage market. While the beautiful and ambitious Rosamund is determined to marry Benedict and will let nothing stop her, Posy remains more in the background, attracting attention only with her clumsy, talkative nature. The main cast also expands to include the familiar characters Alice Mondrich (Emma Naomi) and Brimsley (Hugh Sachs).

More plot details will be revealed in the coming weeks and months - and we'll see how much we have to look forward to: from this central romance to the birth of Kate and Anthony's first child , Penelope and Colin's marital bliss , Eloise's adventures in Scotland and Francesca's idiosyncratic storyline.

This article originally appeared on vogue.co.uk