’Tis the season — Bridgerton season. With the return of the regency romance series just weeks away, Netflix chose Christmas Day to gift fans with the first Bridgerton Season 4 trailer and new photos. And, as always, the preview offered a swoony, steamy look at the story ahead.
The Bridgerton Season 4 Trailer
The preview picks up after the events of Bridgerton Season 3, during which Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) outed herself as Lady Whistledown. She teases that “the social season might look a little different this year,” and we find that her mother-in-law, Violet (Ruth Gemmell), is putting pressure on Benedict (Luke Thompson) to get married.
How fortunate, then, that he happens to meet an intriguing lady in silver at his mother’s masquerade ball. But unbeknownst to him, he is captivated by Sophie (Yerin Ha), a servant who disguises herself to experience life among the ton “for one glorious night.” When the clock strikes midnight, she slips away, leaving behind a single glove.
This Cinderella story is, however, not G-rated. Bridgerton fans expect (and even demand) steamy scenes, and the trailer hints at a few. Not only does Benedict get his own water scene à la Mr. Darcy, there are bedroom romps, covert finger grazes, and more.
Couples Everywhere
Bridgerton is never lacking romance, and the new trailer and photos highlight multiple pairings. Though Benedict and Sophie are at the heart of Season 4, fans can rest assured they’ll see more of the show’s already-married couples, including Penelope and Colin (Luke Newton) and Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John (Victor Alli). Meanwhile, the budding interest between Violet and Marcus (Daniel Francis) appears to be growing, as they’re shown sweetly touching pinkies.
With so many beloved characters, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell recently offered assurance that there’s room for them all in Season 4. “It’s a season where we try to make sure all of the siblings feel present in some way and present in the main love story as much as possible,” she told Entertainment Weekly. “Eloise [Claudia Jessie], for example, has a very tight relationship with Benedict and she will be involved in his search for the masked woman this year.”
Thompson previously described Brownell and the writing team’s scripts as “dynamite,” highlighting Season 4’s Cinderella “twist,” per Tudum. “You remember being told those stories as a child — the magic and the romance of them,” he said. “It’s really exciting to have that weaved into the world that we know of Bridgerton … It’s such a great story, but it’s also, I hope, really relatable.”
Bridgerton Season 4 drops in two halves, with Part 1 arriving on Jan. 29 and Part 2 following on Feb. 26.
