The moment Bridgerton dropped on Netflix, it took the internet by storm with its riveting plotline and its exquisite cast. Who would not choose to see it? Ever since Bridgerton season 2 hit the Netflix library, fans have been frustratingly anticipating season 3. Adapted by Shona Rhimes’ Shondaland Productions for Netflix, Bridgerton, for those unversed, is inspired by a series of eight novels written by Julia Quinn.
The romance drama follows the life of the Bridgerton family, which consists of widowed matriarch Violet (Ruth Gemmell) and her eight children, who are currently looking for marriage suitors in Regency England’s aristocratic society.
The first season of Bridgerton, which premiered on December 25, 2020, covered the first daughter, Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) potential suitors that lead her to form connections with Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Rege-Jean Page). The second season is based on the second book of the novel series, following the life of the eldest brother Anthony’s (Jonathan Bailey) romance with the naïve Kate Sharma, which will not fail to remind you of Darcy and Lizzy’s love story trope.
With that said, here’s a comprehensive run-down of the Bridgerton season 3 containing all the necessary information you need.
When was Bridgerton officially renewed for a third season?
As previously mentioned, Bridgerton dropped on Netflix on December 1, 2020, and was renewed for the second season in January 2021. Interestingly, the popularity of the Regency Romance novel adaptation was so exponential that Netflix renewed the show for a third and fourth season simultaneously in April 2021, and that too, before the second season began filming. The streaming giant surely surprised its fans with its double renewal since they are such a rarity these days.
Dearest readers, this author brings a most exciting announcement… pic.twitter.com/sV0QiYcn8z
— Bridgerton (@bridgerton) April 13, 2021
What to expect from Bridgerton season 3?
Here’s the official synopsis for Bridgerton season 3 shared by Netflix:
“From Shondaland and new showrunner, Jess Brownell, Bridgerton is back for its third season and finds Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing his disparaging words about her last season. She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.
Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder. Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.”
During the promotions of Bridgerton season 2, Rhimes disclosed one of the most interesting updates about the story arcs that seasons 3 and four could take. Speaking to Entertainment Tonight, she said that although the show will be covering the lives of each sibling, it won’t “necessarily” be following the order of the books. Netflix Life states, “Rather than diving into Benedict’s story in An Offer from a Gentleman, the series will jump to Penelope and Colin’s story in Romancing Mister Bridgerton.”
In a conversation with Variety, Jess Brownell, the showrunner for season 3 mentioned the deviation in the chronology. Brownell said, “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. 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.”
Who are the cast members of Bridgerton season 3?
The following list of cast members will reportedly return in Bridgerton season 3:
- Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington
- Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton
- Claudia Jessie as Eloise Bridgerton
- Jonathan Bailey as Anthony Bridgerton
- Simone Ashley as Kate Sharma
- Luke Thompson as Benedict Bridgerton
- Florence Hunt as Hyacinth Bridgerton
- Adioa Andoh as Lady Agatha Danbury
- Golda Rosheuvel as Queen Charlotte
- Julie Andrews as Lady Whistledown Narrator
According to TVGuide, the role of Francesca has been recast; previously, it was reprised by Ruby Stokes. In the upcoming installment of Bridgerton, it will be reprised by Hannah Dodd. Not only that, but three new male actors will also be joining the team of Bridgerton season 3, including Daniel Francis in the role of Marcus Anderson, Sam Phillips as Lord Debling, and James Phoon, reprising the role of Harry Dankworth. Hannah New will also reportedly reprise the role of the young widow Lady Tilley Arnold.
Additionally, Jonathan Bailey, who bagged a new role in a Showtime limited series, will continue to be a part of Bridgerton in a series regular capacity as the Viscount Anthony Bridgerton. A slew of new cast members, which was introduced in the second season, will reprise their roles in season 3 as well, including the likes of Charithra Chandran as Kate’s sister Edwina and Calam Lynch as Eloise’s love interest Theo Sharpe.
Unfortunately, actor Rege-Jean Page, who reprised the role of charming Duke of Hastings in season 1 and who garnered a lot of critical acclaim for his looks and acting skills, will not be returning in the upcoming installments of Bridgerton. On June 21, 2022, he revealed his fate as an actor on the show through an Instagram post of him and his former co-star Bailey. It was captioned with:
“The boys are back in town. (No, I’m not going back to the show btw – the papers made that one up) But we had the best, and most stylish, catch-up I’ve had in a while over some truly excellent Italian coffee and sunshine.”
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Not only that, but the talent Phoebe Dynevor, who played the role of Daphne Bridgerton, will also sadly not reprise her role in season 3, according to Netflix Life.
When can we expect Bridgerton season 3 to release on Netflix?
On July 20, 2022, Netflix disclosed that Bridgerton season 3 began filming along with sharing an announcement video featuring the core cast members of the show. Not only that, but the UK site Metro also released some snapped photos of the cast filming in Bath, England as of January 17th, 2023. Although no recent updates have been shared in February, we speculate that the third season is currently in the filming process.
Based upon this information, we suspect Bridgerton season 3 to release sometime in late summer 2023, provided they wrap filming soon, so they have enough time for post-production.
Is there a trailer for Bridgerton season 3?
Netflix hasn’t dropped an official trailer of Bridgerton season 3 as of yet. However, on July 20, 2022, the cast gave us a glimpse of some behind-the-scenes looks, confirming that the show is currently under production in London.
In addition, during Netflix’s annual TUDUM event, Bridgerton season 3 shared the title of the first episode, written by Brownell and directed by Tricia Brock: “Out of Shadows”.
During the same event, Coughlan read the first few lines of season 3’s opening monologue:
“Dearest Gentle Reader, we’ve been apart for far too long. At last, London’s smart set has made its return, and so, too, has This Author. As the season begins, the question on everyone’s minds is, of course: Which newly minted debutante will shine the brightest? The crop this year appears to be rather dazzling indeed. Unfortunately, not every young lady can attract the light.”
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