With“ Bridgerton” renewed for seasons 5 and 6, what does this mean for the plot?

• Alert Lady Whistledown! We’re getting a “ton” more Bridgerton. The show has been renewed for seasons 5 and 6.

• Season 4, which will tell Benedict Bridgerton’s love story, arrives in 2026, but that won’t stop us from speculating further ahead.

• Based on Julia Quinn’s novels, we read the tea leaves on what future seasons could focus on.

Dearest gentle reader, Netflix knew you simply couldn’t face life without more Bridgerton.

As such, the Shondaland hit has been renewed through season 6, the streamer announced Wednesday at its upfront presentation. Production is currently underway on season 4, which is scheduled to arrive sometime in 2026.

Season 3, which aired a year ago, chronicled the romance of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), season 4 is poised to give Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) his own happy ending with Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).

“Benedict is a character who we all have been rooting for,” showrunner Jess Brownell previously teased. “We’re deeply invested in his story, and it’s been really exciting trying to shake him out of his normal routine, and the only way we were able to do that was with a character as dynamic as Sophie. She is based in a Cinderella trope, but she is no damsel in distress. She is someone who has chess moves and is always thinking two, three steps ahead. She’s absolutely going to throw Benedict for a loop.”

Following the example of previous seasons, the fourth season will draw its central plot from Julia Quinn’s novel, An Offer From a Gentleman, the third book in the series. Brownell swapped books three and four, using the Polin romance in Romancing Mister Bridgerton as the basis for season 3.

So, what could this mean for a fifth and sixth season? If Bridgerton continues to use Quinn’s novels as its guide, they are likely to focus on the romances of two Bridgerton sisters, Eloise (Claudia Jessie) and Francesca (Hannah Dodd).

We’ve already seen Francesca wed to John Stirling (Victor Alli), though her head was turned in an unexpected way upon meeting John’s cousin, Michaela (Masali Baduza). Brownell has confirmed that this reflects a change from Francesca’s story in When He Was Wicked, making Michael and Michaela and introducing the first major queer love story in the series. Quinn has praised the shift in the series continued efforts to make the world of Bridgerton more inclusive.

Because much of the groundwork has already been laid (and Michaela has been cast), it’s likely the show will pull another book swap as they did with Penelope and Colin, making season 5 all about Francesca and Michaela.

However, there is always more going on in every season than the central romance, so it’s quite possible that we could learn more about Eloise’s future paramour in season 4. Eloise’s novel is the fifth book, To Sir Phillip With Love. It follows Eloise’s sudden and surprising marriage to her pen pal Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton), whom fans might remember was previously wed to Colin’s season 1 love, Marina (Ruby Thompson).

Of all the characters, Eloise’s story has diverged perhaps the most from her presence on the page, so it remains to be seen whether or not they will adhere to this particular plot for her.

There are two more books still in the line-up. The seventh novel, It’s in His Kiss, recounts young Hyacinth Bridgerton’s romance, while the eighth and final novel in the series, On the Way to the Wedding, focuses on the youngest Bridgerton brother, Gregory.

On the series, Hyacinth is portrayed by Florence Hunt, who is 18 years old, and Gregory is played by Will Tilston, who is also 18. It is feasible then that each would be old enough to play out their character’s romance when the time comes. Though, time will tell if Bridgerton chooses to combine multiple love stories into one season, perhaps bringing Hyacinth and Gregory’s relationships into seasons 5 and 6.

Bridgerton seasons 1-3 are streaming on Netflix.

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly