Bridgerton Season 4 is a Worn-Out Fairy Tale

This season of the Regency-era streaming hit, which follows eight siblings from the esteemed, very wealthy Bridgerton family in 1800s London, starts off very different from prior iterations. You are whisked off to the “downstairs” — a la Downton Abbey — to see how domestic help manage the vast Bridgerton mansion and its various social obligations, including hosting the marriage mart’s very first ball, blessed by the Queen (the lovely Golda Rosheuvel).

The romantic couple of the moment, after all, is Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson, who described himself as “a quarter Indian”), the second-eldest Bridgerton sibling, and Sophie Baek (a wonderful Yerin Ha), a maid who dreams of much more. But Dearest Gentle Reader, this is our fourth inning in the make-believe world of Bridgerton, leaving us very tired indeed. Proceed only if you’re hoping for easy, familiar Cinderella-esque entertainment, and very little else.