Bridgerton Season 4’s Romance vs. Past Seasons—Showrunner Drops a Game-Changing Tease!

The next Bridgerton romance is soon to be revealed, and the showrunner has faith that Luke Thompson will handle it perfectly. As an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s book series, the show has explored a different romance with every season, and the time has come for Benedict (Luke Thompson) to find his own partner. In Netflix’s adaptation of An Offer from a Gentleman, he will officially serve as the leading man. Currently, Bridgerton season 4 has no official release date, but it should be arriving in late 2025 or 2026.

As production continues, showrunner Jess Brownell is fascinated by Thompson’s performance. In an interview with Collider, Brownell praised Thompson’s “wonderful sensitivity and self-awareness“. While Brownell promised a faithful season, she did explain that Thompson’s Benedict has different motivations and new ways of approaching Sophie (Yerin Ha). Check out her quote below:

I do think this season is the most faithful to the book. You know, it really lends itself to adaptation, just plot-wise. Yeah, I think it’s very similar. Of course, some smaller things have changed. Character motivation, especially Benedict’s, is quite different from the book, in that Luke Thompson brings this wonderful sensitivity and self-awareness to the character. In Benedict’s story of trying to woo Sophie, I think the character is a bit more delicate and thoughtful, perhaps, in the way he goes about it.

What Faithfulness Means For Bridgerton Season 4

Luke Thompson Will Make It Distinct

Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton books have always served as a general guide to the show. Still, they have never been followed perfectly. Michael was portrayed as Michaela, for instance, and the show has had considerably more drama. Changing Benedict’s motivations was somewhat inevitable. After all, the book version of the character attempted to manipulate Sophie. Rather than offering an equal partnership, he wanted nothing more than to use her as a mistress, while finding a different bride. The same is not likely to be true for the more “sensitive” portrayal on Netflix.

Benedict is already a powerful force within the family, so the power imbalance between the season’s two stars will be difficult to manage. If not for the “more delicate” depiction by Thompson, the character could simply become unbearable. The faithfulness will likely involve the plot’s progression, while the dialogue and motivations themselves will heavily differ. Thompson’s performance could even add depth to unchanged dialogue.

Our Take On Bridgerton Season 4’s Faithfulness

This Should Be An Exciting Adaptation

Any adaptation should strive to achieve some level of faithfulness, and this show is no different. The entire Bridgerton cast of characters is based on the books, so maintaining links to the original works helps to keep those characters grounded. Still, shows can’t remain wholly faithful. Translating anything into another medium requires making some small changes to better interest audiences. After all, many viewers have already read the books, so a one-to-one adaptation would simply be redundant. Those small changes are the right move for Bridgerton.