'Bridgerton' season 4 trailer: Benedict and Sophie are ready to serve a Cinderella-esque romance

There is a very particular way Bridgerton announces a love story before it ever officially begins. Not with grand declarations or dramatic monologues, but with the atmosphere. A look held for a second too long, a ballroom that suddenly feels quieter than usual, a character who has spent seasons drifting at the edges now placed squarely at the centre of the frame. The season 4 trailer stays true to this language.

Instead of spectacle, it leans into mood. Think candlelight, masks, and stolen glances before words are exchanged. And somewhere between the music and hushed moments, the trailer seems to be telling us two things at once: this season is going to be deeply romantic, and it’s finally time for Benedict Bridgerton.

A quick rewind of Bridgerton’s love legacy

Since its debut, Bridgerton has built a reputation for delivering romance in distinct flavours. The first season gave us Daphne and Simon’s dramatic fake-dating arc, fuelled by social pressure and simmering attraction. Season 2 turned yearning into an art form, with Anthony and Kate’s slow-burn enemies-to-lovers story carried almost entirely by eye contact and restraint. Season 3 softened things further, focusing on Colin and Penelope’s long-standing friendship and unspoken feelings finally surfacing.

Each season has been romantic in its own way, but conflict has always been at its core, be it about duty, denial, reputation, or fear. And Bridgerton Season 4 does not stray far away. The tension in this new love story is once again expected to come from society, or the 'ton', keeping two lovers apart. 

Benedict Bridgerton has always been standing just outside the frame, but not anymore

From the very first season, Benedict has occupied a unique space within the Bridgerton universe. He is the second son, the artist, the observer. While Anthony wrestled with responsibility and Colin searched for purpose, Benedict quietly questioned the entire structure of the world he lived in. We saw him navigating art school with talent and privilege. We watched him drift through romantic entanglements that were intense but fleeting. He wanted connection, but not confinement.

Season after season, Benedict was the one watching others fall in love, sometimes with amusement, sometimes with longing. He stood on balconies during balls, lingered at the edges of conversations, and often seemed the most emotionally open, yet the least anchored. The trailer finally shifts that energy. Benedict is no longer the observer. He is the emotional centre this time.

Cinderella enters the 'ton'

One of the most telling elements of the Bridgerton season 4 trailer is the masquerade setting. Fans of the show know that masks are never just decorative in Bridgerton. They signal anonymity, chance encounters, and love that begins without context or expectation. For readers of the books, the reference feels deliberate. For viewers, it sets the tone for a romance built on recognition rather than reputation. Benedict's quest for the love of his life begins after she runs away, leaving him with a single glove, a Regency era version of our very Cinderella.

Unlike previous seasons where love grew within rigid social frameworks—marriage markets, family pressure, public scandal—this story seems to begin in a space where identity is temporarily erased. Two people meet, putting aside their titles, assumptions, and rules. It is romantic in the purest sense.

Why season 4 already feels more romantic

What makes the season 4 trailer stand out isn’t just who it focuses on, but how it feels. There is less urgency and more stillness. The Cinderella-esque romance is not about egos or scandals, it is about yearning, overcoming obstacles, and falling hopelessly in love.

Benedict’s love story, as hinted so far, seems driven by curiosity and wonder, and by the feeling of seeing someone and wanting to understand them fully. Where Anthony’s romance burned hot and chaotic, and Colin’s unfolded through familiarity and comfort, Benedict’s story is poised to be about discovery. 

What this means for the rest of the 'ton'

A Benedict-led season naturally shifts the emotional temperature of the show. The stakes feel less about scandal and more about connection. It also allows Bridgerton to return to some of its most poetic storytelling—music swelling over silence, glances replacing dialogue, and intimacy built slowly rather than announced.

If the trailer is anything to go by, Bridgerton season 4 is not trying to outdo previous seasons in drama. It is aiming for something more lasting. A love story that lingers. One that unfolds gently, patiently, and with intention. 

And after years of watching Benedict Bridgerton stand just outside other people’s happily-ever-afters, it finally feels like the show is ready to let him have one of his own.

The first part of Bridgerton season 4 will release on January 29, 2026, and the second part will follow on February 26, 2026.

Lead image: Netflix
 

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