Gentle reader, prepare for a new dose of Regency-era drama because Season 3 of Bridgerton is on the way, and the couple of the season is one we know well already.Loyal followers of the iconic Shona Rhimes series (and the books before them) will likely be aware at this point that Season 3 of Bridgerton will centre on Penelope and Colin’s love story; skipping right past that of Benedict’s – which is the next romance in the books.
We’ll take a look at why the series is deviating from the books and every other update worth knowing here. Consider this your guide to the next Bridgerton chapter.
Remind me, what’s Bridgerton about again?
It’s shocking, but there are still people who haven’t watched Seasons 1 or 2 of Bridgerton. Where have you been?!
The series is based on a collection of novels that focus on each of the eight Bridgerton children and their prospective love stories. Each story is set in 19th Century England, where ridiculously rich families often find themselves wrapped up in a scandal.
Season 1 of Bridgerton centred on Daphne and her Duke, Season 2 focused on Anthony and his Viscountess and Season 3 will zoom in on Colin and Lady Whistle- I mean, Penelope.
The series is narrated by ‘anonymous’ Lady Whistledown, who also pens (lol) a gossip-filled newsletter that dishes on all the drama circulating the Ton.
Who’s What’s coming in Season 3?
Spoilers for Season 2 of Bridgerton are coming.
As we touched on, it was initially assumed that Season 3 of Bridgerton would look at the love story of Benedict, as the third novel does, but instead, it was announced by Nicola Coughlan (Penelope) that Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington would be getting their moment in the upcoming episodes.
Speaking at Netflix’s FYSEE Space’s opening night, Coughlan shared that:
“Like Lady Whistledown, I have been keeping a secret for quite some time and I can confirm to you all that Season 3 is Colin and Penelope’s love story,” she said.
“I have kept that secret since two weeks into Season 2. This is the first time I am saying it here.”
Although the romance between these two central characters has been teased since Season 1, the new feud between Penelope and Colin’s sister (Penelope’s best friend), Eloise, will likely cause some hurdles in #Polin’s journey.
Showrunner Jess Brownell explained the reason behind the direction change for Season 3 of Bridgerton in an interview with Variety, sharing that she feels it’s Colin and Penelope’s “time”.
Soz about it, Benedict.
“Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people,” she said.
“I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them where it’s like, Colin walks up to the line of almost realizing that Penelope has feelings for him but doesn’t quite get there. Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”
We’ve been gifted more updates in this space since the arrival of Netflix’s Tudum event in 2022. Netflix gave Bridgerton fans a sweet little gift in the form of a video featuring Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton) and Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) discussing the show while painting portraits of one another.
When asked why Colin doesn’t see that Penelope is his perfect match, Luke shared that he thinks because they grew up together, he simply can’t see what’s in front of him.
“Which is frustrating for fans of the show,” he added.
“And sometimes, they take that frustration out on me…”
At the end of the clip, we’re also treated to a brief reading from episode one of Season 3 of Bridgerton by Nicola Coughlan. It’s a nice little addition but doesn’t really give anything away.
If you’d like to follow on at home – somewhat – the book we’re working from in Season 3 is Julia Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
Who is in the cast lineup for Season 3?
But don’t forget the other siblings and their good-looking partners. We have some updates in that area for you, too.
Deadline confirmed that Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley) will return for Season 3 of Bridgerton as the Viscount and the Viscountess Bridgerton. And Ashley has teased that the pair “are just getting started”.
The latest news in the world of Bridgerton casting, however, is that Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne Bridgerton) will not be joining Season 3. Speaking with ScreenRant, the Season 1 star confirmed that:
“Sadly [I’m] not in season 3. Potentially in the future. But season 3, I’m just excited to watch as a viewer.”
Interestingly, despite the news of Daphne’s absence, there are whispers that Regé-Jean Page (who played the dreamy Duke in Season 1) may return to the world of Bridgerton.
*Faints*
As The Sun reports, an unnamed source sparked this rumour, sharing that:
“Regé-Jean was always very open about his intention to quit the show after the first season and to move on to other projects.
“But recently, there has been a dialogue between him and the show’s bosses. Nothing has been formally agreed yet, but watch this space.”
This could be wishful thinking, of course, but we’re intrigued regardless.
We haven’t received an official lineup just yet, but considering the above, we already know a fair amount about who will be joining the party for season 3 of Bridgerton.
Joining Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), and Simone Ashley (Kate Sheffield) will most likely be Harriet Cains (Philipa Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Ruth Gemmell (Lady Violet Bridgerton), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth Bridgerton), Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Will Tilston (Gregory Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Lady Portia Featherington), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agatha Danbury), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) and Julie Andrews (Lady Whistledown) – among others.
As Shondaland reports, Francesca Bridgerton has been recast due to original actress Ruby Stokes taking another role. Hannah Dodd will be stepping into the role for Season 3.
What else should I know?
We don’t yet have anything in the form of trailers or release dates for Season 3 of Bridgerton, but we do have a few first-look pictures to obsess over.
At this year’s Netflix Tudum event, the streaming service dropped a handful of photos from the upcoming season, showing some intense stares shared by #Polin.
Do contain your excitement. Your first look at Bridgerton Season 3 has arrived. #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/m5icMZACvM
— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) June 17, 2023
We also have a little clip from when filming began, but don’t expect much in the form of sneak peeks here.
Until we do get new episodes, you can rewatch Seasons 1 and 2 of the series on Netflix. Or, you could watch one of these equally-spicy shows instead.
Oh, and if you’re feeling a little riled up while waiting for more horny Bridgerton content, here’s a list of the best sex scenes from earlier seasons to tide you over.
This article has been updated since its original publish date.
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