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Dearest gentle reader, fret not because Anthony and Kate are returning to Bridgerton season 4 in nearly a fortnight.
“We’ve confirmed Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley are both in the season, and if you haven’t seen them in part 1, you’re going to see them in part 2,” showrunner Jess Brownell told Variety in a Thursday, January 29, interview. “You’ll have to wait and see.”
Bridgerton season 4, following Anthony’s brother Benedict’s love story, debuted Thursday on Netflix. In the first half of the season, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) meets love interest Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha) in a Cinderella-esque retelling. Anthony Bridgerton (Bailey) has not been present, as he and wife Kate Sharma Bridgerton (Ashley) previously traveled to India for the birth of their first baby.
“They do have an integral role to play in terms of being the viscount and viscountess and the elder siblings,” Brownell teased of Kate and Anthony’s return to the ton. “And I think it’s lovely to have them back to advise and guide.”
In Anthony’s absence, Benedict was appointed to help run the family’s estate.
“He has, but also, there are multiple seats of the Bridgerton estate,” Brownell acknowledged. “He’ll be able to do that job, not only from Bridgerton house, but also from [Anthony’s country residence at] Aubrey Hall.”
Bridgerton is adapted from Julia Quinn’s best-selling regency romance series of the same name, in which each novel follows one of eight siblings in the wealthy Bridgerton family. Season 1, based on The Duke and I, chronicled Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) turn in the marriage mart, while the second season highlighted Anthony’s journey in The Viscount Who Loved Me. Season 3, meanwhile, starred Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and was inspired by Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
The Shondaland series has already been renewed for seasons 5 and 6, which will star Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca (Hannah Dodd) in a yet-to-be-revealed order. (Eloise and Francesca’s respective books are To Philip, With Love and When He Was Wicked.)
“We’re nearly done with season 5 at this point,” Brownell further teased to Variety. “The last three seasons have been focused on Bridgerton boys, so all I can say seasons 5 and 6 are definitely about the middle Bridgerton girls.”
According to Brownell, there will be “some clues for people to parse” within season 4 about the order of the remaining seasons.
Bridgerton author Quinn, 55, is among the select few privy to the coveted order.
“I know who is scheduled next,” Quinn exclusively told Us Weekly in May 2025. “My hope is that all the siblings will eventually take the lead because we love them [all]. That was kind of the whole point of the books is that you’ve got these eight separate stories, but they’re all connected.”
In addition to Eloise and Francesca’s stories, Hyacinth (Florence Hunt) and Gregory (Will Tilston) have yet to take the lead.
The first half of Bridgerton season 4 is now streaming on Netflix. Part two airs February 26.
