Bridgerton Season 4: The Main Poster

The main poster for season 4 has been released, and it is everything that we want for a poster of a romance series.  So let's break it down.  

Image Credit: Netflix

Benedict and Sophie: 

We see Benedict behind Sophie slightly turned looking down at her as he leans in, with Sophie's head turned so she is looking up at Benedict, giving the impression that they are looking into each other's eyes, though it could be interpreted that Benedict is in fact looking at Sophie's lips.  Benedict's hand is gently clasping Sophie's upper arm, while Sophie is holding one hand up clasping her glove (this is an easter egg for the book - and potentially the show). This pose gives classic romance novel pose, which works well for a season based on a romantic fairytale.  

Benedict and Sophie are dressed in their Masquerade costumes, however, unlike the teaser poster Sophie is wearing her mask. Benedict is in his simple black shirt and pants, but is not wearing his mask, which is a simple black mask. We see that long silk/satin evening gloves for the ladies have returned after last season. As mentioned in my post on the teaser poster here, Sophie's mask is a half face mask, more in line with the late Georgian period than the regency period, this suggests that instead of the Georgian dress in the books Sophie instead wears a masquerade mask that is out of date and old fashioned. 

One interesting thing to note, which could be an easter egg, or could be nothing, is that Benedict is wearing his signet ring in the poster on the ring finger of his left hand, this is different from season 3 where he wore his ring on the little finger of his right hand, and in seaosn 2 where he wore his ring on the little finger of his left hand. Further the ring in the poster appears to be different to the ring he wore in previous seasons. Something to watch out for when the season releases. 

The Surroundings: 

As with the teaser poster the balcony setting is used for this image, with Benedict and Sophie framed from above by Wisteria. Again, the Wisteria is losing petals pointing towards an Autumnal feel for season 4. Again we see the white roses with teh petals starting to curl, and the leaves on the rose bush are starting to turn yellow as if this is the beginning of the Autumn. 

The colour of the sky in both this poster and the teaser poster suggests that this is dusk or sunset, and at first glance looks like the same colour, however, on a closer look it appears the purple in the sky is slightly darker, suggesting a shifting of time further into the night. A subtle difference, but one that could be signalling the passage of time in the story of Benedict and Sophie. 

As with the teaser poster it is hard to ignore the fairytale elements in this one, and the symbolism of the flowers and colours of the night sky. Combined this leans into a very romantic promise for season 4. 

Bridgerton Season 4: Storyline Speculations and What ifs

With the announcement of the season 4 release date, and some press days already happening, I thought it is time for a fun post of speculation and what ifs about season 4 plot points. Before you read on note that this is not meant to be taken as necessarily what I think will happen, or what I want to happen in season 4 (some may be a little controversial), this is looking at some possibilities of what could happen. 

Kate and Anthony (and Violet and Eloise) provide the advice to Benedict (and maybe Sophie)

For previous seasons it has been set up that the immediate preceding couple provides the 'advice', or 'helps', the leads of the season, however, I think it is possible that this could change in season 4. Benedict and Anthony are close, and from season 3 we saw that Benedict also has a close relationship with Kate, but also both Benedict and Sophie will be centred in Bridgerton House, so it makes sense that it is Kate and Anthony who becomes the guides for their season - but not only them. 

It makes little sense for Colin and Penelope, who live in a different house, to be the guiding couple, especially as Penelope and Benedict haven't even interacted in the show, and a friendship between Sophie and Penelope is something that makes no sense. Neither Penelope nor Colin will have anything to do with Sophie, and with a new baby there is no reason for them to be constantly in Kate and Anthony's house, so the opportunities for them to be able to observe, and then provide advice, should be limited. Further, with it looking like Luke Newton did not film as much in season 4 as Nicola Coughlan, it seems that Colin won't be around a lot either. I am aware that the counter is that Jonathan and Simone did not film much either, however, both Simone and Jonathan were recalled to set in season 4 filming based on interviews each has given, which lends some credence to the theory that they have filmed more than initially thought.

While I see Kate and Anthony providing some guidance, and maybe moreso Kate than Anthony, I also think that it is possible both Violet and Eloise play a large part in Sophie and Benedict's story. We know that Eloise will be the one Benedict enlists to help him find Sophie, and it is strongly speculated that Sophie will be employed as Eloise's maid in Bridgerton House, this gives ample opportunity for Violet and Eloise to be part of the story. I also see a friendship developing between Sophie and Eloise, as well as Sophie and Kate. Ultimately though, when it comes to understanding Sophie's position in society, the best one placed to do so is Kate, neither Penelope nor Eloise will have any concept of the struggles that Sophie will have gone through, Kate is the only one outside of their class that may be able to understand Sophie better. 

Image Credit:  Netflix

Kate and Anthony Have Two Children

This is a widely held belief, and is definitely a possibility. It appears that a time jump will happen in seaosn 4, (whether it is one year or two is unknown), and will most likely take place from episode 1 to episode 2, this allows the time for Kate and Anthony to return with Edmund, and possibly another child. This theory began after a fan asked Jonathan Bailey about the baby and his response was 'which one', however, it is possible he was talking about the multiples that are generally used for filming, but he could also have been talking about Kate and Anthony's children. I would love to see Kate and Anthony with a second child, and maybe a little controversially I am hoping their second child is a girl. It would be a great call back to season 2 for them to have a little girl that is named for Kate's mother, (Kate: "My mother has a name"), we will finally be able to put a name to Kate's mother. 

Image Credit: Netflix

A Wedding 

It seems to be all but confirmed that there is a wedding in season 4, but whose? I know many believe it is Benedict and Sophie's, but this would mean that they are married before their situation is resolved, because as has been pointed out by most fans over the last few years Bridgerton doesn't do happy, drama free weddings. Assuming that they follow the book and Benedict and Sophie don't get married until after the resolution to their issues and roadblocks, whose wedding could happen that would be full of drama? I propose that it could be Violet and Marcus. But if they have a wedding for Violet and Marcus, will it be another one like Anthony and Edwina? Will the wedding actually happen and we see Violet and Marcus marry? What will then happen with Violet, Hyacinth and Gregory? Will they move out of Bridgerton House or will Marcus move in? So many questions, so few answers until February 2026. 

 Image Credit: Netflix

John Dies around the Middle of the Season

Filming leaks indicate that John will probably die in season 4, and I know that many believe it will be towards the end of the season, however, what if it isn't? What if John dies around episode 5? What if we see Francesca (and Michaela) mourning during seaosn 4? What this could mean is another season switch and IF John dies earlier in the season then it could be to set up Francesca for season 5, pushing Eloise back to season 6.

 

Anthony being a Father Figure to [Spoiler]

In a recent interview Jonathan Bailey made a brief comment about Anthony being a father figure to someone, but he cut himself off because he said it was a spoiler. But who could Anthony be a father figure to that would be a spoiler? Some have thought it is Sophie, and it could be, but what if it isn't Sophie? It most likely wasn't his siblings Jonathan Bailey was referencing because that isn't a spoiler, and it won't be any of his nieces or nephews whose parents are present in their lives, he is the father for Edmund (and any second child) so there is no need to reference Anthony being a 'father figure' to them, which leaves one more character - Posy. Will the story change with Posey coming to live with the Bridgertons earlier than in the book? Will Posy be taken under Anthony, Violet, and Kate's wing? And if not Posy or Sophie, then who could Jonathan Bailey be referring to? Did he mean one of his siblings? To me that would not be much of a spoiler, so I really don't think it is a sibling. 

Bridgerton Season 4: The Release Date is Official

After the leak from Netflix Netherlands it has taken for just over a week for the official announcement from Netflix and Bridgerton of the season 4 release dates.  As leaked season 4 will release in 2 parts on 29 January 2026 and 26 February 2026, falling into the crucial Valentine's Day period, showing that this season will indeed be the Season of Love.  

The date was announced with more content, including the main poster, a promotional video and some stills of Benedict and Sophie.  I will look at each of the releases one by one to kick off the official season 4 promo period.  

Video Credit: Netflix

Promotional Video

The video released begins with Benedict walking down the stairs, and Sophie up the stairs, reflecting their positions of upstairs and downstairs, before flashes of Benedict and Sophie from the Masquerade Ball.  The video ends showing Sohie at the top of the stairs and Benedict at the bottom looking at each other, before we see the glove dropped on the ground.  The video is accompanied by a voiceover from Lady Whistledown and hints at both the upstairs/downstairs aspect of this season, and the passing of the seasons suggesting a potential time jump, but certainly hinting at season 4 taking place in Autumn rather than Spring/Summer. 

One thing that was noticed by many is the setting of the promotional video, it appears to be on the set of the Featherington stairs.  Despite those that think this means anything from Penelope and Colin hosting, or co-hosting, the Masquerade Ball to Sophie working for Penelope, to a nod to a close friendship between Sohie and Penelope, I think that it is simply due to ease and cost.

The stairs we see onscreen for Bridgerton House are in Halton House, which is the Officers Mess on the base RAF Halton, in the County of Buckinghashire. To go to the expense and logistical planning that is required for a location shoot in order to film a very short promotional video is not cost effective, it would be easier and cheaper to repaint the walls on a set they already have in the studio - hence they repainted the set for the Featherington House stairs and filmed it there.  Despite it being logically untrue that the promotion is related to anything specific in the show there are some fans that will continue to try and centre a white character in a story with a woman of colour lead, as we have seen from the preposterous theories 

Image Credit: 

The Poster

The official poster for the season featuring Benedict and Sophie was also released, I will do a more indepth breakdown shortly, but for now a brief look at it.  

As with all the promotion the poster features Sophie and Benedict in their Masquerade Ball aspects, leaning into the Cinderella vibes and romance of it all.  We see Benedict behind Sophie and looking down at her while she is looking up at him.  As with the teaser poster they are on a Balcony, and we see the petals from the wisteria falling and on the roses the petals are curling to indicate that this is a season that will not be at the height of Spring/Summer, but rather the end of summer and Autumn.  

The Stills

In addition to the video and poster three new stills were released, all three featured Benedict and Sophie. I will be doing a breakdown of all the stills over the next few months, so will save a more indepth look at these one then as well, however, I will do a brief glimpse here. As I said the three stills all feature Benedict and Sophie, and all are at the Masquerade Ball, so no new gilmpses of our two new leads. 

Image Credit: Netflix

1. Inside: The first still is inside the ballroom, and looks like it could be the very first meeting when Benedict approached Sophie at the Ball. 
   
   
   

   Image Credit: Netflix
   
   
2. Outside: The second still sees Benedict and Sophie outside in the Bridgerton Garden, they are looking in the same direction and it appears that something or someone has caught their attention. 
   
   
   

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3. Hands: The third still shows Benedict holding his hand out and Sophie about to put her hand in his. This is inside the ballroom and is most likely when he is about to lead her outside to the garden

The Article

Tudum updated their article on season 4 with the date, and a new hint at what we might see in season 4. The Tudum article reveals that Benedict enlists the help of Eloise to help him find the Lady in Silver after the ball. This makes sense as Eloise has been shown to be his closest sibling, and she proved in season 3 that she is able to keep a secret for those she cares about. This is something that I will expand on in upcoming posts, as it leads to a lot of interesting thoughts and speculation. 

Bridgerton Season 4: The Teaser Poster

Last week the official Bridgerton social media accounts released the first teaser poster for the upcoming season.  The teaser poster did not include release dates as many suspected, (though they were leaked by the end of the week thanks to Netflix Netherlands).  The poster features Sophie standing on a balcony with her back to the camera holding her mask behind her back, the colour of the sky in the background suggests it is dusk, or sunset.  So let's break this down. 

Image Credit: Netflix

Sophie:  Sophie is centred in the image, and dominates the poster without overpowering it, however it is not a full length picture of Sophie with the focus being on the dress (and Mask).  Sophie is in the silver dress she wears to the Masquerade, holding the matching mask. In the books Sophie wears an old dress of her mother's in a Georgian style, however, for the show her dress is rooted in the Regency period, the mask on the other hand appears to have taken inspiration from Masquerade masks of the late Georgian period which covered more of the face than those from the Regency period.  Does this mean that instead of her dress being from her mother the show is going with teh idea that she wears a mask that belonged to her mother? 

The mask behind Sophie's back symbolises secrecy and concealement, but the fact she is holding it and not wearing it suggests that she will eventually be 'unmasked' as the Lady in Silver, and her true identity will be known and no longer concealed.  

The surroundings: 

Sophie is standing on a balcony, this looks to be a nod to the books where Sophie and Benedict's tryst on the night of the Masquerade took place.  But we also see the Wisteria associated with Bridgerton, however, some petals are falling from the flower which reflects the idea of this season being set in Autumn rather than Spring/Summer.  We also see white roses, and a closer look at the roses shows they are in the last stages of their blooms, and the leaves look to be starting to turn yellow/brown, reinforcing that this season will be set in Autumn. 

Wisteria symbolises love, romance and longevity, but it also has specific meanings in Asian culture. In China it is believed to bring good luck and happiness, and in Korea it represents devotion. The White Rose symbolises innocence and purity, and additionally in Korean culture it represents respect, but also new beginnings. However, these flowers are wilting and this does change their meanings slightly, but they do not bring meaning of death or endings as one might expect, but rather hope. The wilting, or dying, Wisteria, which has the meaning of devotion in Korea when in bloom, carries this symbolism through as it wilts where it means a devotion that transcends death, but more generally a wilting Wisteria can also be seen as a testament to the ability of the heart to endure, thus giving hope, something that resonates with Sophie's story. The wilting white rose however, can shift the meaning to the realities of loss and endings. The meanings behind these flowers being in the poster resonate, not only with Sophie's story, but with the story of Benedict and Sophie. 

It is interesting to note that the only other poster to include the Wisteria flower so prominently was for Daphne and Simon's season where the flower was in full bloom representing love and romance, whilst for this poster it is dying, which shifts its meaning to resonate with the story to be told in season 4. 

Final Thoughts: 

I like this poster, the colours of the sunset in the background and the softer colours of the flowers are beautiful and give an almost ethereal feel to the poster. The centring of Sophie, but with the focus on her gown and not her, really pulls the person viewing this into the fairytale feel of the story. 

Bridgerton Season 4: Release Date Leak and Easter Eggs?

On Friday local time the Netflix Netherlands Instagram Account posted a picture of what seems to be the official season 4 Poster along with the release dates. According to screenshots that are being shared widely on Social Media it seems that season 4 will release in two parts on 29 January and 26 February 2026. This is a couple of weeks earlier than I expected, but if they wish to tie it in to Valentine's Day then this makes sense as most marketing for Valentine's Day will be well under why by the release. 

While seeing the poster was exciting, I was more intrigued by the additional writing from Netflix Netherlands, and the additional images. It appears there were a total of 6 images, but I don't think those additional images were more posters. 

Whilst I don't speak or read Dutch (except a word here and there), others who do have indicated that the writing on the first of the slides indicated there were 5 Easter Eggs in the poster - but what could they be? Most are likely to be obvious Bridgerton references, but the one I have seen going around that has intrigued me most of all appears to be from the last slide. The picture in question has the release dates circled (see below) and the writing in Dutch appears to say "Who is Jan? Is he going to try to steal Sophie from Benedict? Who is Feb?". I have seen some theorise that this is just a silly joke making a play on the month of January (shortened to Jan), as Jan is a Dutch name, but what if the first part is not a silly joke? What if it is a hint to what may happen in the season. 

Stand by I have a wild theory coming in. There have been hints to suggest that Footman John may have a larger part to play in the upcoming season, this makes sense as the season will be focussed a bit more on the servants, but what if his larger part is connected directly to the main storyline of Sophie and Benedict? It could be theorised that the last Easter Egg (connected to the dates) is a riddle that is about more than the dates. But what is the connection? It is in the name Jan, which is a version of the name John. 

Image Credit: Netflix

So, the riddle starts with 'who is Jan?' That could be Footman John. Then they ask if he is going to try to steal Sophie from Benedict, which could conceivably be part of the storyline. But if he is going to try to steal Sophie, is it from a position of desiring her for himself, or is it more of a protective situation where he is not so much pursuing Sophie, but trying to talk her out of starting anything with Benedict? The riddle ends with 'who is Feb?'. Feb itself is not a name, the month of February is named for a Roman purification ceremony which really has no connection to Bridgerton, but if we now switch to thinking about the months, February follows January, that is Feb follows Jan, so who follows Footman John? 

Image Credit: Netflix

I know this is a wild theory, and to be honest I didn't think beyond the Jan/John connection or the idea that John could try to steal Sophie, so I really have no idea how Feb may tie in. Of course this theory could just be a lot of hot air and nothing else, and it really is as simple as the release dates.