The first four episodes of the fourth season of the Regencyera romance series Bridgerton are now streaming on Netflix, with the remaining four set to premiere on February 26.

Based on a namesake novel series by Julia Quinn, the alternative history show follows the close-knit siblings of the noble and influential Bridgerton family as they navigate the highly competitive social season, where young marriageable nobility and gentry are introduced into society.

The series is set during the early 19th century in a different London Regency era, in which George III established racial equality and granted aristocratic titles to people of colour due to the African heritage of his wife, Queen Charlotte.

Season 4 follows the titular clan’s second-eldest sibling, Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), who meets his lady in silver, resourceful maid Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha), at a masquerade ball.

With the reluctant help of his sister Eloise (Claudia Jessie), Benedict sets out in society to uncover the young lady’s identity.

“This season is a very different trajectory,” showrunner Jess Brownell said in an interview.

“Benedict lives in a fantasy world. Sophie lives in a hard reality. You have two characters who are at opposite ends of a pole, and rather than either of them needing to get all the way to the other side, they both need to travel to the middle.

“Between fantasy and reality, true love lies in the middle, neither one creates the circumstances for romance to bloom. You have to embrace a little bit of both.”

Since its first season debuted in 2020, Bridgerton has been positively received for its direction, actors’ performances, production and set design, receiving a number of accolades including five Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards as well as a Grammy Award nomination for Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media.

The series has been renewed for a fifth and sixth season