THE GOSSIP MILL

‘Bridgerton’ Season 4: Who We Want More of (and Less of)

Let’s just say that Colin can take a leave of absence….

Apparently, we’re going to have to wait around two years to get another season of Bridgerton. Have scientists figured out a way to speed up time yet? There’s no way I’ll be able to keep my cool until 2026 to figure out what happens to the Bridgerton crew!

Alas, we’re going to have to play the waiting game here, Bridgerton fans. But while we’re anticipating the next season to roll out, we can entertain ourselves with hypotheticals about what it might bring. So, dear reader, it’s time we present you with what we want more of and less of in Season 4 of Bridgerton.

A few characters haven’t made this list because they already are getting the spotlight at just the right amount. Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) should stay as active as she is as Lady Whistledown, as should her delightfully bizarre family, the Featheringtons. Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) are also around from time to time—which is great, because I love seeing them canoodling, but they’re no longer the main focus of Bridgerton.

But there are a handful of Bridgertons and other Ton residents we’d like to see a bit more of—and a good number that could use way less screen time in Season 4. Here’s everything we want from the next season of Bridgerton, with *spoilers for the Season 3 finale* ahead.

What We Want More Of

-Bridgerton went out of order from the original books with Season 3, so we’re overdue for a season about Benedict Bridgerton. My colleague Laura Bradley already penned an exquisite article explaining why the next season should belong to the second Bridgerton brother, and I wholeheartedly agree, unless…

-Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and new hubby John Stirling (Victor Alli) could also take the lead. Francesca is by far the most fascinating Bridgerton child at this point—because she now appears to be bisexual. Francesca has two love interests in John and Michaela (Masali Baduza). I’m dying to see where this goes.

-We got an entire spinoff about why Queen Charlotte is the GOAT, and then she was hardly in Season 3. I want to see her fight Whistledown. Let her start a gossip column that counters Whistledown. She should also get more involved in the balls and love stories—like in Season 1, when she tried to push a love match onto Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor). Judgy Queen Charlotte is one of the finest characters in a show all about gossip, but we should see even more of her shady side!

-Where the heck is the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page)??? I get that Page left the show to pursue other big projects—good for him, but I’ve yet to see one of those major projects come to fruition. If he’s not announced as James Bond by Season 4, it’s time for him to make a cameo with Daphne. Kate and Anthony are doing a stand-up job of remaining in the show’s periphery, but Simon and Daphne are nowhere to be found. Argh!

What We Want Less Of

-I do love me some Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell)—she’s the best mama bear around—but I couldn’t care less about her love story. Do I want her to be happy? Absolutely! Does she have any chemistry with Lady Danbury’s (Adjoa Anjoh) brother Lord Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis)? Absolutely not! I would, however, watch a prequel series about her love story with Edmund Bridgerton. Give me that, and then we’ll talk.

-Alright, if Simon isn’t around, why are we supposed to care at all about the Mondrichs? Simon’s friends seem like fun people, but neither Will (Martins Imhangbe) nor Alice (Emma Naomi) ever take part in any main storyline on the show. I’m not opposed to them being involved more with the Bridgerton family—the more the merrier! But if we’re expected to show interest in this (albeit lovely) couple, they need to have more airtime with the main characters, not just each other.

-I wrote about how much I love Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Cressida’s (Jessica Madsden) queer-coded friendship, but with the rollout of the second batch of Season 3 episodes, I’m now starting to get the sense that these two will never be an official thing. How agitating. While Eloise was a fun character from the start, Bridgerton seems to be confused about what to do with her character. For now, we could use a break from the Eloise and Cressida train.

-Sorry guys, I have to say it: Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) is so off-putting. He is hot and marvelous and enchanting when he’s flirting with Pen, but when he’s on his own, he loses the charm. Penelope carried this season (I’ll admit, I was wrong to have my doubts heading into Season 3), and now that we’re over and out, Bridgerton can dial it back with the whole Colin shtick. Anthony and Benedict are the hot, endearing ones. Show us more of them instead!

Fletcher PetersEntertainment Reporter

Kevin FallonEditor

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