Dearest gentle readers, the time is finally upon us streaming this week: Bridgerton is on the verge of delivering new episodes to anybody with a Netflix subscription for the first time in nearly two years. The long wait for the first half of Season 4 to arrive in the 2026 TV schedule has undoubtedly been harder for many fans than myself, as I took those two years to finally get around to watching Colin’s season courting Penelope.
I did this for one reason only, but decided to get over it enough to binge-watch Season 3 ahead of Bridgerton Season 4. Now that Benedict is stepping into the spotlight, I need his romance to change that one reason that stopped me from rooting for Colin and Penelope as much as I did Anthony and Kate.
Why I Delayed Watching Season 3
I’ll come out and admit now that Season 2 remains my favorite season of Bridgerton with Jonathan Bailey and Ashley Simone generating what I consider the best chemistry of the series. Plus, they had some of the best orchestral pop covers. Remember Kanthony dancing to “Wrecking Ball”? I certainly do!
I mention Kanthony here because I finished Season 2 feeling pretty confident that many of my favorite elements would be missing from Season 3, and it all goes back to Colin and Penelope’s final scenes way back in 2022. On Penelope’s side, her biggest arc of Season 2 was actually with Eloise rather than the man scripted to sweep her off her feet next season.
But on Colin's side, his loud response when one of his friends asked if he was courting Penelope got under my skin so much that I waited nearly four seasons to want to see their love story unfold. With Penelope (and many others) in earshot, Colin derisively said:
Are you mad? I would never dream of courting Penelope Featherington. Not in your wildest fantasies.
Why would you even say that in in such a way about a friend? I was so offended on Penelope’s behalf that it led to the second time I yelled at my screen in Season 2. The first was “What are you doing?!” when Anthony decided he needed to propose to Kate ASAP after their gazebo tryst; the second was “What is wrong with you?!” to Colin saying this so openly at a Featherington event when Penelope could hear from a decent distance away. Anthony made up for his somewhat hilarious (in hindsight) error one episode later; Colin took his sweet time.
Not wanting to court Penelope was one thing, but loudly declaring it to a group of friends with that phrasing was just cruel. Season 2 ended Colin’s story on a sour note when it came to setting up a love story, unlike how Season 1 set up Anthony and Season 3 set up Benedict. Romantic messiness doesn’t bother me when a happy ending is guaranteed. Romantic humiliation apparently keeps me from watching a show for four years.
What Benedict Needs To Do Differently In Season 4
What I need is pretty straightforward: Benedict to not be openly mean about Sophie. The class differences between a man of the Bridgerton family and a household maid are undoubtedly going to lead to some rudeness, intentionally or otherwise. But I’d prefer that to be along the lines of Anthony complaining about Kate so passionately that nobody actually believed him rather than what Colin said about Penelope.
I’m glad Penelope forgave Colin, but it took me some time as a regular viewer of Regency romances to do the same. After all, even several episodes into Season 3, Colin's actions in comparison to his eldest brother had me wondering if maybe I should have taken Anthony more seriously when he kept insisting he was a gentleman and man of honor while yearning for/lusting after Kate.
In all seriousness, Benedict has been set up for a lovely arc in Season 4, with the trailer giving serious Cinderella vibes. My ability to root for him from start to finish really might hinge on 1) how he treats his love interest in front of her and behind her back, and 2) how entertainingly messy he is about her. Benedict’s hang-up is commitment, and that should be a fun hurdle to watch him overcome if done right.
None of this is to say that I hated Season 3 or Colin, and Season 2 certainly wasn’t perfect. Bridgerton just squandered the chance to set him up as a love interest to root for. That wasn’t the case for Benedict ahead of his time in the spotlight, and my fingers are crossed that Bridgerton continues to do things differently for him in Season 4. All in all, my hopes are high for Benedict and Sophie. If Shonda Rhimes cried for the first time, maybe I should stock up on the tissues too.
The first four episodes of Bridgerton Season 4 will premiere on Thursday, January 29 on Netflix, followed by the second four on February 26.
