Bridgerton Teases New Lady Whistledown After Shocking Season 4 Finale

“Penelope went through such a giant growth arc last season. She’s not the powerless girl who needs Whistledown to take back her voice anymore,” Jess told Netflix’s Tudum in an article published Feb. 26. “While she stands by everything she believes about gossip being information, gossip being power for the voiceless, she realizes that it’s time for her to stop being in that role.”

And although Penelope is never replaced by a new Lady Whistledown in Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton book series—on which the show is based—for Jess and executive producer Shonda Rhimes, the decision to bring in someone new made sense.

“We thought, what better way to get to create a genuine mystery with Whistledown than to have someone new take it over?” Jess shared with Entertainment Weekly in an interview published Feb. 26. “So Shonda and I have an idea about who Whistledown is and that's what we're writing toward.” 

But if you’re hoping to find out who is taking up the quill, the Netflix series won’t be revealing the identity anytime soon. Although it will be planting a few clues over the next few seasons. 

“I'll say it won't be revealed in season five,” Jess added. “I can say that we've already finished writing season five, so beyond that, I can't say for sure, but we will play with the mystery for a little while.” 

And as shown in the final episode of season four, Julie Andrews will stay on as the voice of Whistledown, although as Jess explained, the Mary Poppins alum has “as slightly different tone” this time around. 

“Julie gave us a great performance with just altering her voice just a little bit,” she said. “And that's a little bit of a hint of the way the new Whistledown is gonna be a little bit different from Penelope's version of Whistledown.”

But a new Whistledown wasn’t the only surprise season four had to offer, as in episode six of the series—which this season focused on the love story between Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha)—Francesa Bridgerton (Hannah Dodd) found herself a widow after the death of her husband John Stirling (Victor Alli). 

And despite knowing John’s death was on the horizon, it was still difficult for many to see—even for the series’ author. 

"I can just say, get your tissues ready, because it's rough," Julia told Us Weekly before the release of part two. "When I visited the set, they were filming scenes and I saw a scene that was—at the same time incredibly joyful and just heart-wrenching—so, yeah, you're gonna need tissues for part two."

Now as fans wait for an update on season five of Bridgerton, look back at season four with these behind-the-scenes photos.