Dearest readers, there’s a new it-couple heating up the Ton in season 3 of our favorite period romance drama Bridgerton.
The Netflix original series, produced by Grey’s Anatomy‘s Shonda Rhimes, follows the Bridgerton family as they navigate London’s high society and embroil themselves in scandal under the watchful eye of the mysterious gossip columnist known as Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews).
To much fanfare, Shonda’s production company Shondaland announced that the Bridgertons’ story will continue with not one, but two more seasons. Even better, Lady Whistledown just revealed the mysterious identity of which coupling will lead season 3. Hint, hint: It’s a friends-to-lovers arc.
Since the series is based on best-selling romance author Julia Quinn‘s eight-novel Bridgerton series, fans of the books already know the nitty-gritty details of the Bridgerton family chronicles. That said, next season’s onscreen love story will look much different than expected as showrunners skip ahead to another Bridgerton sibling’s love story.
Here’s everything we know about what lies ahead for Bridgerton season 3:
When will season 3 of Bridgerton come out on Netflix?
We’re still waiting on news from Lady Whistledown regarding an official release date for season 3 — but we do know that it’s on its way.
Last April, Shondaland revealed Bridgerton was renewed for season 3 and season 4 through a special edition of Lady Whistledown’s Society Paper. “Esteemed members of the Ton,” it read. “Bridgerton shall return for seasons three and four. This author shall have to purchase more ink …”
This content is imported from Twitter. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
Given that the first season premiered on Christmas Day 2020 and the second season dropped a bit later on March 25, 2022 — due to production delays related to the coronavirus pandemic — we may hear news about the third season (fingers crossed!) soon. In a May interview with Marie Claire Australia, actress Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington, confirmed that the drama will begin filming the third installment this summer “sometime between June and August.”
What will season 3 of Bridgerton be about?
LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
The table’s turning on Lady Whistledown … Next season skips ahead to the budding romance between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), which is explored in book four Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
“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,” Nicola revealed on May 15 at Netflix’s FYSEE Space. “I have kept that secret since two weeks into Season 2. This is the first time I am saying it here.”
Though the show has traditionally followed the order of the books, Bridgerton showrunners gravitated towards giving Penelope and Colin the spotlight next. “I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them,” Jess Brownell told Variety. “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.”
This content is imported from Instagram. You may be able to find the same content in another format, or you may be able to find more information, at their web site.
The new season will explore Penelope’s unrequited love for Colin, which seems even more dismal after that season 2 scene. ICYMI: Colin said he’d “never dream of courting” Penelope (ouch). “I feel like if you see Penelope fawning over this boy for another season, you’ll be like, ‘Get it together! Come on, move on and get over it,’” the Irish actress told Netflix Tudum. “Jess has talked to Luke and I through the season, and I think people are going to be really obsessed. I think book fans are going to be happy.”
It’s a skip and hop away from what fans thought the original focus would be for the third season of Bridgerton as the next book in the series is An Offer From a Gentleman, which explores second eldest brother Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) romance with Sophie Beckett. But don’t fret Benedict stans. “Even though we’re reversing the order of the books, I think all the people you would expect to see — Benedict, who is book three, he will be a vital part of season 3,” Jess spilled to Variety.
Who will be in the season 3 cast of Bridgerton?
Another season 3 twist comes with the recasting of Francesca Bridgerton. Hannah Dodd has been tapped to replace original Bridgerton cast member Ruby Stokes, who made fleeting appearances in seasons 1 and 2. If all goes accordingly, the second youngest Bridgerton daughter is expected to take center stage in a potential sixth season of Bridgerton based on its matching book in Julia’s series, When He Was Wicked.
Familiar faces Jonathan Bailey, who plays Anthony, and Simone Ashley, who plays Kate Sharma, will officially be returning as the viscount and the new viscountess to head the Bridgerton household. Speaking with Deadline, Simone confirmed the news and revealed what she hopes to have her character bring in the next installment.
LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
“We’re going to be back! Kate and Anthony are just getting started,” she told the outlet. “In Season 2, there was a lot of push and pull between Kate and Anthony, there were complications with the family, and then they find each other towards the end. I think everything is just starting. I’d like to see Kate just let go a bit more and play more in Season 3 and kind of swim in that circle of love together. I think they both deserve it.”
Simone continued: “She’s in charge of the household now and she’s got big boots to put on. I think she can do it. I want to keep that softness and vulnerability to Kate, for sure, and she can share that with Anthony. I’m just excited for her to have a home and to have a family. I’m excited to see her grow. I think I’d like to see Kate being much braver and less headstrong and more heart strong.”
We can’t wait to see what the actress does next. As for the rest of the Bridgerton season 3 cast, we expect a similar pattern to continue from season to season. “The books really focus on one on one romantic pair at a time and maybe the siblings have a little cameo here and there but they don’t have full stories,” Jess told Variety. “We feel like those moments when the whole family is together is what really makes the show and makes all of us, I think, want to be a Bridgerton. So yes, you will definitely be seeing Daphne, Anthony and Kate — how much, I don’t want to say quite yet, but you have to tune in.
With that said, we hedge our bets on seeing the usual suspects whose stories aren’t tied up just yet:
- Ruth Gemmell as Violet Bridgerton
- Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Adjoa Andoh as Lady Danbury
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
How can I watch and stream Bridgerton season 3 episodes?
LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX
Bridgerton season 1 and season 2 are available to stream exclusively on Netflix. You can grab your laptop and watch on the Netflix website. Or if you prefer to see shows on a mobile device, the Netflix app is available on smart phones, smart TVs and game consoles, among other platforms. In the event that you don’t have access to the streaming service yet, you can sign up for a Netflix subscription starting at $9.99 per month.
How can I read all the Julia Quinn novels while waiting for Bridgerton season 3?
Watched all of season 2 already? Good news: You don’t have to wait another year to find out what happens next. Dive right into all eight of the Bridgerton books now in the below order:
This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io