Dearest Gentle Reader, 
 
This author finds himself compelled to impart the most exciting news of the season! Everyone in the ‘ton will be delighted to know that last Friday, January 29th, “Bridgerton” returned with the first four episodes of Season 4, streaming on Netflix. The last time the ‘ton got a chance to attend a ball in Mayfair was back in June 2024. It is time, dear reader, to know if, in fact, the wait was worth it. 
 
As every “Bridgerton” fan knows, every season depicts the love story of one of the eight Bridgerton siblings. The first season was Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the second was Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), the third was Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), and this time around, it is Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) turn. Benedict has been depicted as bisexual throughout the series thus far, so it was not known if his love interest would be a man or a woman. It turns out to be Sophie Baek (Yerin Ha).  

Benedict has been notoriously known for not wanting to settle down. He is not interested in the balls or the customs of society, much to the chagrin of his mother, Lady Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell). Back then, marriage was a major measure of success in a person’s life, and Violet just wants what’s best for her children. Violet decides to host a masquerade ball at her home and invites all eligible maidens. Benedict is late to the ball but quickly finds himself enamored with a mysterious maiden, Sophie. He teaches Sophie how to dance, and he is drawn to the fact that she also seems to be somewhat of an outsider to society’s demands. It turns out Sophie is a maid who snuck out of her house to attend the ball. She leaves without telling him who she is, leaving behind a glove. It is definitely a callback to the classic Cinderella story. There is even an evil stepmother, two stepsisters, and a father who tragically passed away as well. It could be uninteresting to viewers, given how this story goes, but the writers and cast sell it, and we are buying it.

A major asset “Bridgerton” has is its casting department. The casting directors have managed to cast each character to perfection every season. Not only did they initially get the right casting for the Bridgerton sibling, but they knock it out of the park every season to find someone for them with whom they have undeniable chemistry. Every season, the chemistry between the couples has been electric. We are drawn to their story and invested in their happily ever after. Every romance has been somewhat forbidden, but the writers have found new obstacles to keep it fresh every season.
 
Thompson and Ha’s Benedict and Sophie are dazzling to watch. The stakes are high in this story because a maid cannot be a lady at this time. This really complicates matters for our couple. How can they end up together? It is outside factors keeping them apart because their love for each other is written all over their faces. 

One of my only slight criticisms of this season is that other stories do not have stakes that are as high. In previous seasons, we had the love story plus the mystery of who Lady Whistledown was. When the audience found out at the end of Season 1 about Penelope being the mysterious writer, the drama was about when she would be discovered. With Penelope being outed in the finale of season three, there is no mystery. Penelope is now trying to manage her place in society, with everyone knowing who the writer is of “Lady Whistledown’s Society Papers.” While it is an interesting angle to watch, the stakes are low. Lady Agatha Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) is trying to break free from the overwhelming feeling she has that her life revolves too much around Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Other stories aren’t as riveting as they were in the past, either. One highlight, though, is the exploration of sexuality through the relationship between Francesca (Hannah Dodd) and John Stirling (Victor Alli). It deals with a little-talked-about subject of a woman being able to reach her pinnacle through sex.  

It is so exciting that “Bridgerton” is back. I cannot wait for the last four episodes to be released on February 26th. With a beautiful love story unfolding before our eyes, we cannot wait to see if Benedict and Sophie are able to have their happily ever after. While the other stories do not have very high stakes, they are still interesting. We have spent three seasons getting to know these characters, and now we are seeing some of the everyday problems in their lives. Will the rest of the season continue to deliver electric chemistry and a spectacular ending for Benedict and Sophie? Stayed tuned, dear reader! This author will return shortly with a report on the second part.

68th annual Grammy Awards (CBS) – Sunday, February 1 @ 7 p.m. (CST)
February on television begins the month in style with the biggest night in music, as the 68th annual Grammy Awards will hand out the industry’s most esteemed honors on CBS, beginning at 7 p.m. (CST). Kendrick Lamar leads all nominees with nine nominations and is nominated for Album of the Year alongside Bad Bunny, Justin Bieber, Sabrina Carpenter, Clipse, Lady Gaga, Leon Thomas, and Tyler, the Creator. The ceremony, broadcast live from Los Angeles, will be hosted by comedian Trevor Noah.

Winter Olympics (NBC, Peacock, USA Network & CNBC) – Friday, February 6 through Sunday, February 22
You’ll be able to enjoy all of your favorite winter sports like figure skating, skiing, hockey and curling throughout the majority of February, as NBC hosts coverage of the 2026 Winter Olympics from Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy. The opening ceremony will be broadcast live in America on NBC at 1 p.m. (CST) on Friday, February 6 and rebroadcast in primetime that evening. The events will be spread across the NBC networks and Peacock, with the highlight events airing on NBC in primetime, delayed. The Games will see 116 medal events in 16 sporting disciplines, including the Winter Olympic debut of ski mountaineering. Among the American stars competing in the Games are alpine skier Mikaela Shiffrin, bobsledder Kaillie Humphries, cross-country skier Jessie Diggins, figure skater Ilia Malinin, hockey stars Connor Hellebuyck and Auston Matthews, snowboarder Chloe Kim and the return of alpine skier Lindsey Vonn.

Super Bowl LX (NBC & Peacock) – Sunday, February 8 @ 5:30 p.m. (CST)
Television’s most-watched event of the year, Super Bowl LX, will feature the AFC champion New England Patriots versus the NFC champion Seattle Seahawks, as the Patriots try to win their record-breaking seventh Super Bowl title, while the Seahawks look for their second in franchise history. These two teams matched up in Super Bowl XLIX in a thrilling matchup in which the Patriots won on a game-saving interception by Malcolm Butler. Worldwide music sensation Bad Bunny will perform the halftime show and millions of viewers will tune in to see which superstars headline the year’s most famous night of TV commercials.

Daytona 500 (Fox) – Sunday, February 15 @ 1:30 p.m. (CST)
The 2026 NASCAR Cup Series season hits the gas with its premiere event, the 68th running of the Daytona 500, which will see Hendrick Motorsports competitor William Byron attempting to become the first driver in NASCAR history to win the event in three consecutive years. Among the sport's biggest names looking for their first-ever Daytona 500 win are Kyle Busch, Chase Elliott, Brad Keselowski and Ryan Blaney. 

Dark Winds: Season 4 (AMC) – Sunday, February 15
“Dark Winds,” which still remains television’s best-kept secret, returns for its fourth season on AMC on Sunday, February 15. The series, which follows Navajo tribal police chief Joe Leephorn, will undergo a major change in its fourth season, with Leaphorn (the incredible Zahn McClarnon) and his deputy, Jim Chee (Kiowa Gordon), traveling beyond their reservation to Los Angeles to search for a missing Navajo girl linked to organized crime. Season four will consist of eight episodes, and hopefully, this will finally be the year the Emmy Awards recognize McClarnon for his excellent performance. 

Paradise: Season 2 (Hulu) – Monday, February 23
“Paradise” was one of television’s most pleasant surprises of 2025, and the Hulu apocalyptic drama returns for its second season on Monday, February 23. The end of season one saw Emmy nominee Sterling K. Brown’s secret service agent Xavier Collins leaving the bunker in search of survivors of a nuclear holocaust, which was thought to have destroyed everything. Season one of the series received Emmy nominations for Outstanding Drama Series, Brown for Outstanding Lead Actor, Julianne Nicholson for Outstanding Supporting Actress and James Marsden for Outstanding Supporting Actor. 

The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins (NBC) – Monday, February 23
The combination of Tracy Morgan, Tina Fey and Robert Carlock has given us comedy gold before on NBC’s legendary sitcom “30 Rock.” I’m hoping the trio can spark gold again in “The Rise and Fall of Reggie Dinkins,” a sports comedy created by Carlock and Sam Means, produced by Fey, Carlock, Means and others, and starring Morgan as the titular Reggie Dinkins, a disgraced former NFL player who’s looking to rehabilitate his public image. The series co-stars Daniel Radcliffe, Erika Alexander and Bobby Moynihan. The show received a special preview following an NFL playoff game in January and became NBC’s most-watched new comedy premiere in three years. Hopefully, that special viewing will lead more people to its premiere a month later. 

Scrubs (ABC) – Wednesday, February 25
“Scrubs” was one of television's best sitcoms during the early 2000s, with its original run on NBC from 2001 to 2008, and it finished with a disappointing final season on ABC. The revival of the show, premiering on ABC on Wednesday, February 25, will hopefully be more like the show’s original run than its ending. Series creator Bill Lawrence is riding a hot streak over the last half-decade with his Apple TV comedies “Ted Lasso” and “Shrinking,” which followed the “Scrubs” method of including a ton of heart alongside its hilarity. The revival will feature the show’s original main trio of J.D. (Zach Braff), Turk (Donald Faison) and Elliot (Sarah Chalke), with Judy Reyes’ Nurse Carla (Turk’s wife) and John C. McGinley’s Dr. Perry Cox in guest roles. Unfortunately, the show doesn’t seem to include Neil Flynn’s Janitor, which was one of the highlights of the original series.