Season 4 of Bridgerton pulls inspiration from Julia Quinn‘s book An Offer From a Gentleman — but there were also a few major changes.
The latest season of Bridgerton follows Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) love story with Sophie (Yerin Ha) from the third novel in Quinn’s series. As some fans know, Benedict’s world gets turned upside down when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman in a Cinderella-inspired meet cute.
Viewers originally expected to see Benedict to be the star of season 3, but the Netflix show hasn’t followed the novels exactly when it comes to details — or the order of the stories. The third season was the first time Bridgerton pivoted by focusing on Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope (Nicola Coughlan), who are the leads of Quinn’s fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
Showrunner Jess Brownell later broke down what changes she wanted to make for the series and why.
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“I am really not trying to shake things up too much. I really believe in the vision of the show,” Brownell told Refinery29 in April 2024. “I really want to serve the stories and the books the best way possible. It just naturally felt like, for Penelope and Colin, it made sense to lean into a romantic comedy tropes. So this season does have a bit more humor in it and it has the awkward banter. So that’s something that will feel slightly elevated in terms of being different from last season.”
Thompson, for his part, didn’t appear to be bothered by the fact that Benedict’s story was delayed.
“It’d be nice to give the character a full exploration, that’d be really fun, but the way the show runs — it’s a big ensemble show,” he told Country and Town House in May 2024. “As long as I’m given interesting things to do, I don’t really mind.”
While season 4 was advertised as the closest to its source material ahead of its premiere, there were still several significant changes. Keep scrolling to see the biggest differences between the show and book:
Lady Whistledown’s Identity
Since Penelope isn’t outed as Lady Whistledown until Colin’s book — Romancing Mister Bridgerton — the identity of the gossip writer was still under wraps when Benedict was single. Quinn’s An Offer From a Gentleman showed Whistledown sharing her thoughts on Benedict’s love life, which was still the case on screen despite people knowing that Penelope was behind the column.
Season 4 leaned into the change by showing Penelope struggling with the aftermath of the Queen knowing her identity — and demanding her input on the success of this season’s matches.
The Bridgerton Timeline
In the book series, Benedict settled down with Sophie before Colin and Penelope found their happily ever after. While Benedict and Colin were both available bachelors in Quinn’s version, season 4 has Colin enjoying marriage and the arrival of his first child.
Three-Year Time Jump
Netflix viewers have to suspend their disbelief when it comes to Benedict kissing Sophie — who is wearing a mask — at his mother’s ball and then running into Sophie as a maid days later. He doesn’t realize that the two women are actually the same person, which creates confusion when he falls in love with both.
The book made Benedict’s inability to connect the dots a bit more believable by having Benedict and Sophie’s interaction at the ball take place three years before they meet again unmasked, allowing Benedict to differentiate the two women.
Benedict’s Illness
In the show, Benedict got injured saving Sophie’s life, which resulted in an infected cut that got worse once they got to My Cottage. In the book, Benedict simply suffered from a fever that took a few days to recover from.
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Their 1st Kiss
Speaking of Benedict’s illness, he slipped in and out of consciousness in both versions. Season 4 shows Sophie looking after him, but in the book, she goes one step further by kissing Benedict in his sleep.
The Lake Scene
If season 3 was all about the carriage scene, then season 4 was building up to the lake moment. Sophie stumbled upon Benedict at the lake — while he was swimming naked — which led to them sharing a kiss. That is where things end on the show, but the book had different ideas.
The Infamous M-Word
The first part of season 4 ended with Sophie traveling to Bridgerton House and accepting a job working for Benedict’s mother. They interact on multiple occasions, leading to developing feelings and a hookup on the stairs (to Olivia Rodrigo‘s “Bad Idea Right?”) before Benedict asks Sophie to be his mistress.
Quinn’s version didn’t stretch the story out that far. Instead, Benedict’s mistress proposal to Sophie took place right at the lake before they returned from My Cottage.
