Bridgerton: Benedict confirmed as the romantic lead for season four
We have some concerns based on what we know about season four so far...
If you saw the third season of Bridgerton this may not come as much surprise based on how things were left off, but it’s been confirmed that Benedict Bridgerton will be the romantic lead for the fourth season.
The character played by Luke Thompson finished season three having had his first queer experience. And then at the very end of the season, the character was strongly implied to be the future lead.
On Tuesday (23 July) Netflix confirmed Benedict would take centre stage in season four with a short teaser. A logline for the series read: “The fourth season of Bridgerton turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson). Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating Lady in Silver at his mother’s masquerade ball.”
Speaking to Netflix Thompson said, “Benedict has always been a little lost — or free depending on the way you want to look at it. But now he’s trying to find something a bit more solid in himself.”
Meanwhile, showrunner Jess Brownell said she’s “very excited” to get into Benedict’s story. “It felt important for him to explore the fullness of himself before he settles down,” she said in reference to Benedict’s personal journey so far. “He is someone who has big appetites, and we wanted to see him living a big life before he goes into settle-down mode.” Brownell added: “I’m excited for where we’re going with him in Season 4. There are a lot of things I want to say about it, but I should probably wait…”
“We have done a lot of research to figure out how we can achieve that within the confines of our world”
The news will come as good news to many Bridgerton fans, who rejoiced to see the character’s development continue in season three. His exploration of queer sexuality in particular pleased fans who had been begging for an LGBTQ+ storyline since season one, especially for Benedict.
We’re trying not to read too much into the wording of things. The logline mentions Benedict meeting “a captivating Lady in Silver.” This seems in keeping with the book the season will be based on, An Offer from a Gentleman. There Benedict meets a lady in silver at a masquerade ball who turns out to be Sophie Beckett, a maid. But it does read as if the queer storyline could be sidelined…
However, Brownell has previously teased more queer exploration in Bridgerton. Speaking specifically on Benedict after season three she said: “He seems like the type of person who wouldn’t be as concerned with gender — someone who might be more fluid and pansexual. He’s really attracted to someone’s spirit. And so it felt like we should make sense of those pieces that were in Seasons 1 and 2. That was what we were attempting to do with his storyline.”
She also said she wanted that she wants to see queer joy on screen indicating a happy story for the show’s burgeoning queer characters. “So we have done a lot of research to figure out how we can achieve that within the confines of our world. And after people see the next couple of seasons, I’ll be able to talk about that more,” she teased.