At a Glance
- Bridgerton season 4 premieres in two parts starting Jan. 29, 2026
- Benedict Bridgerton’s love story with Sophie Baek takes center stage
- Eight episodes will roll out across five weeks
- Why it matters: Fans get a Cinderella-style romance sooner with a split-season drop
Netflix has locked the premiere strategy for Bridgerton season 4, confirming the regency romance will return in two installments beginning January 29, 2026, with the second batch arriving February 26. The eight-episode season follows Benedict Bridgerton’s long-awaited love story with newcomer Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha.
Benedict’s Cinderella Story Unfolds
Season 4 adapts Julia Quinn’s An Offer from a Gentleman, shifting focus to the second-oldest Bridgerton sibling. Benedict meets Sophie at a masked ball where she slips in unnoticed, setting off a fairy-tale search after he declares her “the most intriguing person I’ve ever met.”
Yerin Ha told News Of Losangeles in February 2025 that she and Luke Thompson “work so well together,” adding:
> “We just try to focus on the story and truly accepting each other for who we are – both character-wise and as people – and I think that has helped with the chemistry.”
To reflect Ha’s Korean heritage, the production renamed the character from Sophie Beckett to Sophie Baek.
> “To make Sophie’s name fit someone who looks like me is really empowering,” Ha said.
Luke Thompson told Netflix’s Tudum that the season explores “the struggle between a proper old-school fairy tale – the romance of it – and the actual reality of the world,” promising “unexpected twists.”
Returning and New Cast Members
Returning leads
- Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
- Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek
- Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
- Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
- Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
- Simone Ashley as Kate Bridgerton
New additions announced in September 2024
- Michelle Mao as Rosamund Li – “beautiful, vain, and eager” with her sights on Benedict
- Isabella Wei as Posy Li – Rosamund’s kinder sister
- Katie Leung as Lady Araminta Gun – their mother under pressure to secure marriages
Also back for season 4
- Ruth Gemmell, Claudia Jessie, Florence Hunt, Will Tilston
- Golda Rosheuvel, Polly Walker, Adjoa Andoh
- Hannah Dodd and Victor Alli as newlyweds Francesca and Lord John Stirling
- Masali Baduza in the surprise role introduced at the end of season 3
Production Timeline
Filming began in April 2024 and wrapped in June 2025, stretching nine months – one month longer than previous seasons. Nicola Coughlan quipped at the May 2025 BAFTA Television Awards:
> “We’re shooting it still, takes a long time to shoot Bridgerton, takes about eight months, this one’s taken nine. So it’s a full pregnancy this season of Bridgerton.”
Coughlan also teased “lots more romance” and her own storyline involving “a ginger baby” while Penelope navigates married life and writing.
Episode Count and Release Schedule
Netflix confirmed in July 2024 that season 4 will deliver eight episodes. The streamer will drop the first half on January 29, 2026, and conclude with the remaining episodes on February 26.
The first trailer debuted December 25, 2025, showing Violet pressuring Benedict to settle down and Benedict’s determined quest to find the mysterious woman from the ball.
What This Means for Fans
Splitting the season compresses the wait between major story beats, a shift from the prior all-at-once release. Viewers can binge the opening chapters, theorize online, then return five weeks later for the resolution of Benedict and Sophie’s Cinderella romance.
Until the new episodes arrive, seasons 1-3 remain available to stream on Netflix.
