Bridgerton is waltzing into the Emmy conversation with its Season 4 submissions strategy.
The Netflix period romance has only entered 12 performers on this year’s Emmy ballot, including Wicked star Jonathan Bailey as Lord Anthony Bridgerton, and Simone Ashley as Anthony’s wife, Lady Kathani “Kate” Bridgerton.
Bailey and Ashley previously competed as leads for Season 2, though they weren’t nominated. For Season 4, they are entered as guest stars as they only popped up in two episodes. Bailey is a former Emmy nominee for his supporting turn in the limited series Fellow Travelers (2024).
One name not on Netflix’s Emmy list is Nicola Coughlan. She was a lead actress contender for Season 3 for playing Penelope Bridgerton, and while she did score an Actor Award nod, she was overlooked by Emmy voters. She is still on the ballot this year, however, in Best Comedy Actress for Big Mood, a British dark dramedy.
The Irish actress is keeping busy between seasons of Bridgerton, having joined the cast of Only Murders in the Building Season 6. She also recently provided the voice of Olivia Burke in the animated feature film GOAT.
Gold Derby reached out to Coughlan’s team about why she wasn’t submitted this year for Bridgerton, but we did not hear back by publication time.
Bridgerton boasts one of the largest ensembles on television, so why is Netflix only submitting 12 of its actors? To compare, Prime Video’s The Boys and NBC’s Saturday Night Live each entered 28 performers for consideration. Studios have to make tough calls each year about which actors to submit, and Netflix’s decision is presumably strategic. There’s a risk of vote-splitting if too many contenders appear on the nominating ballot, and Regé-Jean Page for Season 1 is so far the only on-screen actor to receive a nomination for Bridgerton, suggesting the show isn’t resonating with members of the Acting Branch.
As Season 4 centers around the Cinderella-like romance between Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton and Yerin Ha as Sophie Baek, it makes sense that these two have been submitted in the lead acting races.
The supporting Emmy contenders are Daniel Francis as Lord Marcus Anderson, Martins Imhangbe as Will Mondrich, Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury, Hannah Dodd as Francesca Bridgerton, Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton, and Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte.
Finally, Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown is eligible once again in Best Character Voice-Over Performance. She won this category last year and was also nominated for Seasons 1 and 2, plus the spin-off series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story.
To date, Bridgerton has received 20 Emmy nominations, winning five: Andrews (2025), costumes (2025), and hairstyling (2021, ’22, and ’25).
Here are all of the categories in which Bridgerton has submitted at the 2026 Emmys. Episode titles are listed where applicable. The nominations will be announced July 8.
Best Drama Series
Producers TBA
Best Drama Actor
Luke Thompson
Best Drama Actress
Yerin Ha
Best Drama Supporting Actor
Daniel Francis
Martins Imhangbe
Luke Newton
Best Drama Supporting Actress
Adjoa Andoh
Hannah Dodd
Claudia Jessie
Golda Rosheuvel
Best Drama Guest Actor
Jonathan Bailey (“The Passing Winter”)
Best Drama Guest Actress
Simone Ashley (“The Passing Winter”)
Best Character Voice-Over Performance
Julie Andrews (“The Waltz”)
Best Drama Directing
Anya K Adams (“The Beyond”)
Jaffar Mahmood (“Time Transfixed”)
Tom Verica (“The Field Next to the Other Road”)
Best Drama Writing
Tess Leibowitz (“The Beyond”)
Best Drama Casting
Series
Best Choreography (Scripted)
“Pink”https://www.goldderby.com/”Full Circle”https://www.goldderby.com/”Recital”https://www.goldderby.com/”Masquerade”https://www.goldderby.com/”Stag”
Best Cinematography (One Hour)
“Dance in the Country”
“The Waltz”
Best Costumes (Period)
“Dance in the Country”
Best Hairstyling (Period/Fantasy)
“The Waltz”
Best Music Supervision
“Yes or No”
Best Picture Editing (Drama)
“The Beyond”
“Dance in the Country”
“An Offer from a Gentleman”
“The Waltz”
“Yes or No”
Best Production Design (One Hour)
“The Waltz”
Best Sound Editing (One Hour)
“The Waltz”
Best Sound Mixing (One Hour)
“Dance in the Country”
