Spoilers for Bridgerton season 4 ahead...
Now that Bridgerton family's second son Benedict is finally married to the love of his life Sophie Baek/Gun, fans of the romantic regency-era drama are eagerly anticipating the story of the upcoming fifth season, especially with the show ending on a major cliffhanger.
For the unversed, Bridgerton season 4 ended with Penelope Bridgerton (Nicola Coughlan) aka Lady Whistledown discovering that her close-to-heart gossip column is being republished, weeks after she announced her retirement.
With both the ton as well as the original gossip writer clueless on the person's identity, showrunner Jess Brownell explained that this mystery will drive the narrative forward in season 5, besides focusing on the next Bridgerton family member's love story.
"It is definitely something we can tease for season five... We have a whole new Whistledown," Brownell told PTI in an interview, sharing how veteran actor Julie Andrews, who voiced the character will return for the fifth season and has altered her voice performance to suit the new Lady Whistledown.
"This is perhaps a writer who has a different moral code and different ethos. We are going to see that play out in season five and see the way the hunt for this new Whistledown shakes up all of society," she explained.
Jess Brownell remained tight lipped on which Bridgerton sister the plot will focus on in season 5, and noted that she wants to "focus on giving Yerin Ha her celebratory moment."
Bridgerton season 4 centred on Benedict falling in love with Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), a working-class woman. It delved into their dynamics, struggles of navigating class heirarchies and finding their own footing in society. The second set of episodes premiered on February 26. It was adapted from Julia Quinn's third book in the Bridgerton series An Offer from a Gentleman.
"There were a lot of discussions about how we were going to tackle that (class divide), what the tone of the show would be. And we did try to find a line between making sure to really go into the fact that these people have difficult lives while still allowing moments of joy and an aspirational wish fulfillment love story with Benedict and Sophie," Brownell elaborated, sharing her thoughts on the evolving romance through the seasons.
"With the love confessions, it does get harder season after season to recreate the magic of some of these love confessions," she admitted, adding, "I think what we try to do is keep it really grounded and who these characters are and in what way specifically should they be seen by the person who loves them."