Bridgerton Season 4: Part 2 date, release time, cast, and what “ward” means
The second half of Bridgerton Season 4 arrives later this month, closing out Benedict’s romance after a split release that has kept viewers debating class, identity, and one loaded word: “ward.” With Part 1 already out, the new episodes are positioned as the payoff to the masquerade-ball mystery—and to Sophie’s hidden status in the ton.
Bridgerton Season 4 release date and time
Part 2 of Season 4 releases Thursday, February 26, 2026, at 3:00 a.m. ET. For viewers asking about the UK drop, that’s 8:00 a.m. in the UK on the same date.
Part 1 released Thursday, January 29, 2026, at 3:00 a.m. ET, setting the pattern: early-morning ET drops that land later in the morning for Europe.
| Release | Date | Time (ET) | Episodes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 4, Part 1 | Jan. 29, 2026 | 3:00 a.m. | 1–4 |
| Season 4, Part 2 | Feb. 26, 2026 | 3:00 a.m. | 5–8 |
Benedict Bridgerton’s Season 4 arc
Season 4 shifts the spotlight to Benedict Bridgerton, who has long been framed as the family’s most reluctant rule-follower. Part 1 builds his romantic obsession around the “Lady in Silver,” then forces him to reconcile fantasy with reality once he discovers the woman behind the mask lives in a world with far fewer protections.
The season is also rooted in the franchise’s recurring tension: love stories aren’t just about chemistry in ballrooms—they’re also about who society lets you be, and what happens when someone tries to cross those lines publicly.
Sophie Baek, the masquerade, and the book connection
The romantic lead opposite Benedict is Sophie Baek, played by Yerin Ha. The series adapts the broad premise from An Offer from a Gentleman, leaning into a Cinderella-shaped setup: a dazzling encounter at a masquerade, followed by a harsher “real life” that makes the match seem impossible.
The show’s version of Sophie updates parts of her identity and background while keeping the key dramatic engine intact—Benedict’s fixation on a woman he believes he can never find again, and the moral conflict that follows once he does.
What “ward” means and why characters say “my ward”
A ward is a person—often a minor—placed under another person’s legal protection and supervision. In everyday terms, it means someone for whom a guardian is responsible. So “my ward” means “a person I am legally responsible for,” without necessarily implying the relationship is parental.
In Bridgerton Season 4, the word is used strategically. Sophie is described as someone’s “ward” as a socially safer label than acknowledging her true parentage. In aristocratic settings, “ward” can function as a polite cover: it explains why a young woman is in a household and supported financially, while keeping the exact family tie vague enough to avoid scandal.
That double meaning—real guardianship, plus convenient vagueness—is why the term hits like a plot twist rather than a throwaway bit of period dialogue.
Cast of Bridgerton Season 4 and returning favorites
Alongside Benedict and Sophie, Season 4 keeps several familiar faces in circulation, including Jonathan Bailey, Nicola Coughlan, and Ruth Gemmell. Their presence helps maintain continuity with the previous season’s ending while keeping the focus firmly on Benedict’s storyline.
Part 2 is expected to resolve the central identity tension around Sophie, while also answering the practical questions the first four episodes raised: what kind of future is possible when the ton’s rules are designed to make matches like theirs unthinkable—and what, exactly, Benedict is willing to risk to defy that.
Sources consulted: Netflix Tudum; Entertainment Weekly; Variety; People Magazine
