Pansexual icon Benedict’s love story will be the focus of Bridgerton season 4 – but there’s a catch

Bridgerton fans listen up! Season 4 will focus on the love life of pansexual bachelor Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), however, it’s possibly not quite what some queer fans were hoping for.

Fans of the Regency era hit were waiting with bated breath for confirmation of the next protagonist, and Netflix have now announced that it’s Benedict’s turn to find a soulmate.

According to the Bridgerton season 4 logline, it seems Benedict’s romance will be with a woman, not a man: “The fourth season of ‘Bridgerton’ turns its focus to bohemian second son Benedict (Luke Thompson).

“Despite his elder and younger brothers both being happily married, Benedict is loath to settle down — until he meets a captivating ‘Lady in Silver’ at his mother’s masquerade ball.”

Previous seasons of Shonda Rhimes’ period romance have focused on the heterosexual relationships of the Bridgerton siblings and their partners: Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan).

The upcoming season is set to Julia Quinn’s third Bridgerton novel, An Offer From a Gentleman.

The novel charts Benedict hating the idea of settling down until he meets a captivating woman at his mother’s masquerade ball. She is Sophie Beckett, the illegitimate child of the Earl of Penwood and one of his maids.

Speaking about Benedict’s upcoming storyline, actor Thompson told Tudum: “Benedict has always been a little lost — or free depending on the way you want to look at it.

“But now he’s trying to find something a bit more solid in himself.”

Rhimes added that Benedict is “a charming man who’s trying to find his way. He’s very delightful and funny. I’m excited for everybody to watch him.”

Benedict explored his sexuality in season three; he flirted with polyamory and was in a throuple with Paul Suarez (Lucas Aurelio) and widowed Lady Tilly Arnold (Hannah New).

The trio share a number of steamy scenes together but when Lady Tilly indicates she wants to settle down with Benedict, he tells her he is not ready.

Variety spoke to showrunner Jess Brownell at the conclusion of season 3 who expanded on the decision to explore Benedict as a queer character.

“I knew that people out there had a feeling Benedict might be queer. And personally, it made sense to me,” Brownell shared.

“He’s not just open minded, it’s that he seems like the type of person who wouldn’t be as concerned with gender — someone who might be more fluid and pansexual.

“He’s really attracted to someone’s spirit. And so it felt like we should make sense of those pieces that were in Seasons one and two. That was what we were attempting to do with his storyline.”

Thompson also spoke about his character’s sexuality to Bustle, saying: “It’s always been part of the writing that Benedict feels slightly curious about his desires, rather than certain in what he wants and is looking for.

“Male sexuality, particularly, can feel boxy in the way that it’s explored. Let’s be clear, it was an extremely repressive period. By our modern terms, the closest [descriptor] would be something along the lines of pansexuality – being attracted to the way that someone thinks and feels, regardless of gender.”

However, Benedict is not the only queer character in the Bridgerton series; the show has taken all sorts of creative liberties to bring unconventional stories to the forefront.

Francesca Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) experienced a queer awakening in season three when she was introduced to her new husband’s cousin, Michaela Stirling (Masali Baduza). 

Francesca found herself suddenly flustered in Michaela’s presence. Fans of the novels noted that her potential lover was a gender-swapped character change from Michael (in the books) to Michaela. It’s since been confirmed that Francessca is set to begin a lesbian relationship in season four.