Bridgerton season four is officially here, with the highly-anticipated season finale airing on Netflix this week.
And from the new S4 castings and rumoured royal cameos to the behind the scenes antics and sweet cast traditions, the Netflix Regency drama has been dominating the headlines.
The show’s fourth season follows the love story between Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek, played by Luke Thompson and Yerin Ha.
Not to mention, it sees the return of the star-studded ensemble cast, with Ruth Gemmell, Claudia Jessie, Luke Newton, Nicola Coughlan, Jonathan Bailey, Simone Ashley, Hannah Dodd, Florence Hunt and Will Tilston returning each season as the extended Bridgerton family.
However, two Bridgerton family members were noticeably absent, with Daphne Bridgerton and her husband Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, disappearing from the series.
Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page starred in season one as Bridgerton and Basset. And despite Dynevor’s brief return in season two, the beloved onscreen couple has not appeared in the show since.
(Image credit: Netflix)
Regé-Jean Page has publicly confirmed that he is not planning to return to Bridgerton, describing his character as “a one season arc” with a “beginning, middle [and] end”.
And Page and Dynevor will both be busy with other projects, finding major success in films from The Gray Man and Black Bag to Inheritance and Anniversary, respectively.
(Image credit: Liam Daniel/Netflix © 2022)
Still, other previous Bridgerton stars continue to remain within the show’s universe, most recently A-listers Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley who returned for a minor role in season four.
And as such, there have been questions around whether Page and Dynevor will make a small cameo.
Alternatively, fans have been debating whether the roles of Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, will be recast in order for the characters to feature in future seasons.
(Image credit: Netflix)
This is something that showrunner Jess Brownell has opened up about, responding to the reports in a recent interview with Variety.
“We are not interested in recasting the characters,” Brownell stated. “I think it would feel like a disservice to everything Regé and Phoebe set up in Season one, and all the beautiful work they put into those characters.
“Logistically, we want to make sure we bring them back when we have something really meaty for them,” she continued. “And to have them come back to say a line at a funeral and just prove that they were there, it wouldn’t feel right for many reasons.”
Bridgerton season four is available to watch now on Netflix.