With Bridgerton season 4 already filming, it’s vitally important that the show doesn’t continue an annoying trend seen with characters like Daphne and Anthony. Based on the book series of the same name, Bridgerton follows the love lives of the eight Bridgerton siblings. The hit show debuted on Netflix in December 2020 and its subsequent two seasons have been just as successful as the first.

With a rotating cast of characters, each season of Bridgerton focuses on a different sibling, with the first season focusing on Daphne, the fourth eldest sibling. Bridgerton season 2 focused on the eldest sibling, Viscount Anthony Bridgerton. For season 3, Bridgerton strayed from the order of the books and instead told the love story between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington. It’s been confirmed that Bridgerton season 4 will be focusing on Benedict Bridgerton’s relationship with Sophie Baek, but audiences wonder if Colin and Penelope will get the same mistreatment as other former leads, Daphne and Anthony.

Bridgerton Seasons 2 & 3 Failed To Properly Build On The Past Season’s Romance

Bridgerton Failed Daphne, Simon, Anthony, and Kate

Bridgerton Leads
Season

Daphne Bridgerton and Simon Basset
Season 1

Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma
Season 2

Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington
Season 3

Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie Baek
Season 4

The idea that each season of Bridgerton focuses on a different sibling is genius; however, in the books, all of the siblings are still major characters, despite the focus not being on them. Unfortunately, this hasn’t happened in Bridgerton seasons 2 and 3. Fans were quick to notice that in Bridgerton season 2, Regé-Jean Page, who played Simon, was absent, meaning audiences couldn’t see how Daphne and Simon’s love story continued after season 1. This ultimately led to Daphne being completely absent in Bridgerton season 3, despite her having a major role in Colin and Penelope’s book.

While both Anthony and his wife Kate appeared in Bridgerton season 3, they were absent for many of the episodes and even when they were present were pushed to the background. While Jonathan Bailey’s schedule was quite hectic leading to filming constraints, it feels a bit like a cop-out that the heads of the Bridgerton household were largely absent. Even though nothing could be done about Jonathan Bailey’s schedule, Kate should have appeared in more scenes by herself, as it was rare to see the Viscount and Viscountess apart from one another.

Bridgerton season 4 is expected to premiere in 2026.

Bridgerton Season 4 Has To Avoid Its Daphne & Anthony Problems With Colin & Penelope

Colin and Penelope Have To Have Active Roles in Season 4

Previous Bridgerton leads have largely been ignored in the show’s more recent seasons, but that can’t happen with Colin and Penelope. The trend with Daphne and Anthony is frustrating, but, outside the main Bridgerton siblings, Penelope has been arguably the main character of the show because of her role as Lady Whistledown.Bridgerton season 3 hinted that Penelope wasn’t done writing, even though she was no longer writing under her pen name. Because of this alone, Penelope’s story demands prominence.

With siblings like Francesca and Eloise going to Scotland at the end of Bridgerton season 3, more time that could be spent on other siblings like Colin and Penelope, or even Anthony, Kate, and their new child. It’s not clear which Bridgerton siblings will be returning for season 4, but audiences may see a reduced cast. While Benedict’s story of finding love with Sophie has to be the main focus point, Bridgerton would be remiss if it didn’t continue Colin and Penelope’s storylines from previous seasons.