'Bridgerton' Author Hints at Which Love Story Stars in Season 5

Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes was recently in Edinburgh for the city's annual celebration of film and television as the opening salvo to Season 4's marketing rollout. Her talk mostly made news for topics other than her hit show; however, it was notable that she stated again that there’s enough source material for the series to run for up to eight seasons, as well as several possibilities for spinoffs. Very few Netflix dramas have been granted so many seasons (Virgin River was the first to reach a Season 8 commission earlier in 2025), but Rhimes is making it clear her series is going to be one of them, as long as she has a say.

Bridgerton has already been greenlit through Season 6 as of May 2025, with Season 4 set to release in 2026. But the question for fans is always how close the series will hew to the books, especially as the show has evolved away from them at points since Season 1. Seasons 1 and 2 did follow author Julia Quinn's series in order, first Daphne and Simon (The Duke & I), then Anthony and Kate (The Viscount Who Loved Me), but it flip-flopped the next two, jumping ahead to Colin and Penelope (Romancing Mr. Bridgerton) before circling back around to Benedict and Sophie (An Offer From a Gentlemen) for Season 4.

Technically, the following four books are (in order) Eloise (To Sir Phillip, With Love) and Francesca (When He Was Wicked), followed by a time jump to Hyacinth (It's in His Kiss) and Gregory (On the Way to the Wedding), which serves as the final romance. But with the upending of Francesca's love interest from Michael to Michaela and Eloise's redemption arc still ongoing, fans wondered if the two sisters might swap places.

However, that does not seem to be the case, at least according to Quinn's Instagram.

For the record, flip-flopping the two sisters would have made sense for the world of the show in the same way flip-flopping brothers Benedict and Colin did. Penelope's unrequited love for Colin was a through line from Season 1, Episode 1, and with the series uncertain if they would get a Season 4, having that trilogy of stories ending with their romance brought the first three seasons full circle.

Likewise, Eloise's romance with Sir Phillip Crane could be seen as something of a full-circle moment for the series. As viewers will remember, Season 1's Penelope-Colin subplot included the pregnant poor relation Marina, who was frantic to get engaged after her not-actually-official fiancé, Sir George Crane, was killed in war. Instead, his younger brother, Sir Phillip, when he learned of her plight, stepped in and married her in his brother's stead, since he was now inheriting the title, he might as well inherit the wife and children. 

Their marriage, though not a love match, was a content one, and when Marina died in childbirth sometime within the book's time jump between the third and fourth romances, Sir Phillip does actually grieve, even though they were never soul mates.  His marriage proposal to Eloise in the book is similarly duty-bound; his kids need a mom, and she's single and needs security, and they get along well in their pen pal friendship. What could go wrong? Only falling in love, obviously.

Here's the synopsis for the novel, To Sir Phillip, With Love.

Sir Phillip knew from his correspondence with his dead wife's distant cousin that Eloise Bridgerton was a spinster. So he'd proposed, figuring that she'd be homely and unassuming, and more than a little desperate for an offer of marriage. Except she wasn't. The beautiful woman on his doorstep was anything but quiet, and when she stopped talking long enough to close her mouth, all he wanted to do was kiss her...

Eloise Bridgerton couldn't marry a man she had never met! But then she started thinking... and wondering... and before she knew it, she was in a hired carriage in the middle of the night, on her way to meet the man she hoped might be her perfect match. Except... he wasn't. Her perfect husband wouldn't be so moody and ill-mannered. And he certainly should have mentioned that he had two young - and decidedly unruly - children, as much in need of a mother as Phillip needs a wife.

While the production is looking ahead to filming Season 5 in early 2026, Season 4 is yet to come. As always, Bridgerton features a revolving lead role situation, with each season focusing on a different sibling's love story. This season, Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha star as second son Benedict Bridgerton and the love of his life, Sophie. 

The rest of the Bridgerton family includes Jonathan Bailey & Simone Ashley (Viscount & Viscountess Anthony & Kate Bridgerton), Luke Newton & Nicola Coughlan (Colin & Penelope Bridgerton), Victor Alli & Hannah Dodd (Lord John & Lady Francesca Sterling), Ruth Gemmell (Dowager Lady Violet), Claudia Jessie (Eloise), Will Tilston (Gregory), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth), and Sophie Lamont (Celia the Housemaid). 

Also returning: Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Hugh Sachs (Brimsley), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Daniel Francis (Marcus Anderson), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Masali Baduza (Michaela Stirling), Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich), Emma Naomi (Alice Mondrich), and Julie Andrews (the Voice of Lady Whistledown). 

Katie Leung (Annika) joins the cast as Sophie's stepmother, Lady Araminta Gun, along with Michelle Mao (Goosebumps) and Isabella Wei (1899) as her stepsisters, Rosamund and Posy Li. We'll also meet a few folks from below stairs, including Oli Higginson (Julia), Geraldine Alexander (The Child in Time), and Gracie McGonigal (The Power). With this new tidbit, it also sounds like we'll have another brief guest appearance by Chris Fulton (Outlander) as Sir Phillip Crane.

Jess Brownell will continue as showrunner for Bridgerton Season 4 after taking the reins in Season 3, with Shonda Rhimes, Betsy Beers, Tom Verica, & Season 1 and 2 showrunner Chris Van Dusen as executive producers. It is not known at this time if Brownell will step away from the showrunner role after Season 4, or if she will helm the next two seasons as well. It is also unknown whether Season 4 (and Seasons 5 and 6) will be released in multiple batches, although the smart money suggests that all three will likely be split into (at least) two parts.

Bridgerton Season 4 is slated to arrive in "early 2026." (If that doesn't mean at least part of it will arrive on Valentine's Day weekend, I'll eat one of Queen Charlotte's hats.) 

Seasons 1 through 3 of Bridgerton and the Queen Charlotte prequel are all streaming on Netflix.