Indeed, "Bridgeman" Season 3, and all of the fun of rocking that carriage and exposing Lady Whistledown, has sadly come to an end - the romantic adventures of Colin Bridgton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Fetherington (Nicolas Coughlan), available to revisit with a Netflix subscription - but that just means it's time to turn our attention to next season

Yes, "Bridgerton" Season 4 will be announced by the streaming platform in April 2021, and we already have hot questions about the upcoming episodes The biggest question is which Bridgerton brother will play the romantic lead this season

The third season, which adapted the "Polin" storyline from Julia Quinn's fourth "Bridgeman" novel, switched the order of the books, so season four will feature Colin's brother Benedict (Luke Thompson), sister Eloise (Claudia Jesse), or that touching possibility of following his newlywed sister Francesca (Hannah Dodd), whom he had a memorable encounter with in the Season 3 finale

Whichever sibling is the focus, "Bridgerton" Season 4 will undoubtedly feature all the lavish costumes, lavish balls, and romantic steam that we have come to expect from the Netflix series Below is everything you need to know about "Bridgerton" Season 4

Bad news for a ton of enthusiasts: "Bridgerton" Season 4 is going to be a bit of a wait Fans can expect to see a new season sometime in 2026, according to a recent interview with "Bridgerton" showrunner Jess Brownell

"We are trying to get the season out sooner, but it takes eight months to shoot, and then we have to edit it and dub it into all the languages," Brownell told The Hollywood Reporter "The script also takes a very long time, so we're kind of on a two-year pace We're trying to speed it up, but it's within that range"

The two-year wait is not unprecedented for the series: season 1 premiered in December 2020, season 2 in March 2022, and season 3 in May of this year

At least the powers that be plan to make it worth the wait:

"I'm very excited about what we're writing, and I think it's going to be a great show The Writer's Room season is coming to an end The Writer's Room season is coming to an end 'Our collaboration is going really well and we're firing on all cylinders'

In April 2021, Netflix announced the renewal of Season 3 and Season 4 At the time, Netflix Vice President of Global TV Bella Bajaria said, "'Bridgeton' blew us away The creative team, led by Shonda, knew the material and delivered a beautiful and emotional romantic drama for our members They have exciting plans for the future and viewers will continue to be captivated by this program We will be in the Bridgerton business for years to come"

It is unclear if Season 4 will be a two-part series, following in the footsteps of its predecessor, or if all episodes will be streamed together Like the first three installments, the fourth season will likely consist of eight episodes

"Bridgeman" Season 3 will feature a coupling between Colin and Penelope (spoiler alert - Spoiler alert), Benedict further exploring his sexuality, and Eloise leaving the ton to stay in Scotland with Francesca, her new husband John Sterling (Victor Ali), and his seductive cousin Michaela (Masari Baduza), There were many romantic hijinks for the rest of the Bridgerton clan

According to IMDb's cast listings for the fourth season premiere, Benedict, played by Luke Thompson, and Eloise, played by Claudia Jesse, will be back in new episodes, as will Penelope, played by Nicolas Coughlan, and Colin, played by Luke Newton 'I love my role on this show and I don't plan on going anywhere I just want to finish the story," Newton told Teen Vogue "I think there are still some things that need to be worked out in Season 4

Francesca, played by Hannah Dodd, and Bridgerton's younger siblings Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Gregory (Will Tilston) are also expected to return in season 4 Bridgerton matriarch Violet, played by Ruth Gemmell, also had a romantically strained relationship with Lady Danbury's brother Sir Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis) in season 3

IMDb also cites the return of Penelope's mother, Phillipa Fetherington (Polly Walker), and the appearance of the Tong's exclusive mean daughter, Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) Other familiar faces are also likely to return, including Adjoa Ando, Golda Rochevelle as Queen Charlotte, Martins Imhambé as Will Mondrich, and Emma Naomi as Alice Mondrich

It is unclear if the main couple from the previous "Bridgerton" will return to the "ton" in Season 4, joining Coughlan and Newton At the end of the previous season, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his pregnant wife Kate (Simone Ashley) left for India to have their child

However, Brownell told Variety about the couple's possible return" We would absolutely love to see them more But it will depend on a lot of factors It depends on how much story the main couple will occupy and if there is room for story It will also depend on whether the actors are available We try to be very respectful of the actors in terms of letting them go on to other things," she told the outlet

"Shifting focus is perfectly fine for us because of the nature of the show We always want to give screen time to the main couple So we'll see what happens But I love those two and I'm always happy to see more of them in action"

Spoiler alert: The following includes more information about Julia Quinn's novels "An Offer From a Gentleman" and "Romancing Mr Bridgerton"

The "Bridgerton" series does not follow Quinn's novels entirely, but seasons 1 and 2 closely follow the plot of her first two "Bridgerton" novels, "The Duke and I" and "The Viscount Who Loved Me" Several storylines were changed from the later books, including the revelation of Lady Whistledown's identity

Season 3, however, diverged from the books It took no story cues from the third volume, "An Offer From a Gentleman," which featured a Cinderella-like romance between Benedict Bridgton and a new character named Sophie Beckett Instead, the third season skipped Benedict's storyline and focused on Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Fetherington in volume 4, "Romancing Mr Benedict"

Does this mean that season 4 will get back on track and focus on Benedict? Showrunner Jess Brownell did not specify which of the Bridgerton siblings would get the TV treatment in Season 4, but hinted that viewers should watch Season 3 carefully

She revealed to TV Insider: "But I think at the end of season 3, there's a hint of where we're headed So I'll leave it up to the fans to pick it apart, but I think we have a small hand in it"

she revealed to TV Insider

When we last saw Benedict in the Season 3 finale, he had rejected proposals for a monogamous relationship with Lady Tilly Arnold (Hannah New), minus his recent mistress Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio), and was exploring his sexuality by staying single He had just chosen to remain celibate and explore his sexuality That exploration will continue in future episodes, Brownell told TheWrap: "This is not the end of the story As anyone who is fluid knows, fluidity is part of your identity, whether you are bonding with a male, female, or nonbinary person" And as for Sophie Beckett, Brownell told the magazine, "Sophie's definitely still in the works, but we're going to continue to explore [Benedict's] fluidity" At the end of Season 3, it was announced that the character would appear next season: Eloise told Benedict that she would be coming home in a few months for Violet's masquerade ball, and readers of Bridgerton will remember that Benedict and Sophie met at such a social event the You may remember that they met for the first time Tom's Guide will keep you up to date on all things "Bridgerton" Season 4, but until then, you can rewatch the drama's first three seasons on Netflix