The highly-anticipated second season of Bridgerton made its Netflix debut this week, with the new episodes shining a light on Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and his search for a wife.
From steamy sex scenes (which felt “pretty silly” to film, according to Bailey) to Regency era dresses, none of us could wait to dive into the new season when it arrived on our screens after just over a year away.
If you’ve already binged your way through the new episodes then you’re probably wondering if and when season 3 will be out – and we have good news for you.
Bridgerton was renewed for seasons 3 and 4 last year, although creator Chris Van Dusen will be stepping down as showrunner for the next season, with the screenwriter telling RadioTimes.com and other press that he’ll still be on board as an executive producer.
Read on for everything we know so far about Bridgerton season 3.
Is Bridgerton returning for season 3?
Yes! Bridgerton will be officially back, not just for season 3 but for season 4 as well.
Netflix shared the good news back in April 2021 in a tweet, writing: “BREAKING NEWS FROM THE TON. Bridgerton is returning for seasons three *AND* four!”
However, the show’s creator Chris Van Dusen won’t be returning to Bridgerton as showrunner for the upcoming seasons, with the screenwriter handing over the reins to Jess Brownell for season 3.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press about him stepping down as showrunner, Van Dusen said: “Bridgerton will always have a special place in my heart and I think I did what I set out to do.
“But at the end of the day, you know, it was time for me to move on, and hopefully create that magic again in the near future.”
Bridgerton season 3 release date speculation
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While we know that Bridgerton is definitely returning for season 3, we don’t know much more about it when it comes to its release date.
Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope Featherington in the show, told RadioTimes.com and other press on Tuesday that she was hoping to ask the show’s new showrunner about the new season next week, saying: “I may have a call with our new showrunner Jess Brownell and be like, ‘So what’s happening?’… but yeah, I’m excited.”
As season 2 took just over a year to arrive on our screens after the show first debuted on Netflix, hopefully season 3 will arrive in early 2023 – especially since COVID restrictions have almost completely lifted.
Bridgerton season 3 cast rumours
While Netflix is yet to confirm which cast members are certain to return to Bridgerton for season 3, we’re likely to see the core cast reprise their roles as the Bridgerton family – including Ruth Gemmell (Violet), Luke Newton (Colin), Luke Thompson (Benedict), Claudia Jessie (Eloise), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth) and Will Tilston (Gregory).
Hopefully Jonathan Bailey will also be back as Anthony, however as his love story was told in season 2, it’s likely he may be given a reduced role – much like that of Phoebe Dynevor, who played season 1 lead star Daphne.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com and press ahead of season 2, Bailey and Simone Ashley, who plays his love interest Kate Sharma, spoke about whether they would return for a third season, with Bailey saying: “We’ll have to wait and see if we’re invited.”
Ashley added: “If I were to return for season 3, I would love to continue Kate and Anthony’s love story and see them play post-marriage and enjoy that honeymoon romance that they deserve. And a lot more horse-riding.”
Meanwhile, Charithra Chandran, who plays Kate’s sister Edwina, said that she’s not sure if her character will feature in season 3, adding: “For Edwina, I’d say she’s not a Bridgerton and at the end of the day, the show is about the Bridgerton family that we know exists in the Bridgerverse, as we like to say. But I’ve been so happy to have such a great part this season and I’m just grateful for that.”
We’re sure we can rely on seeing the likes of Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Harriet Cains (Philippa Featherington), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington) and Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte) in season 3, as well as Dame Julie Andrews, who voices Lady Whistledown.
Bridgerton season 3 plot rumours
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**Spoilers ahead for Bridgerton season 2**
We don’t know for sure what Bridgerton season 3 will be covering, but we can take an educated guess since the seasons so far have roughly followed the events of Julia Quinn’s book series.
The third novel in the Bridgerton book order is An Offer from a Gentleman, which focuses on the love story of Benedict Bridgerton – the family’s second eldest son – and so season 3 could follow Luke Thompson’s character, who at the end of season 2 had left the art studio after learning his membership had been bought by his brother.
However, creator Chris Van Dusen told RadioTimes.com and other press that the show isn’t strictly sticking to the events of the book.
“It’s not a given that we’re following the order of the books and I think whatever we do in season 3 and whatever sibling we’re focused on still remains to be seen,” he said.
Whatever season 3 covers, we’re sure we’ll also find out whether Eloise and Penelope manage to mend their friendship after Eloise discovers she is Lady Whistledown, while another season is likely to tell us whether the Featheringtons recover their financial position after cousin Jack turned out to be a fraudster.
Bridgerton is streaming now on Netflix, with the second season due to land on Friday 25th March 2022.
You can buy the Bridgerton book series on Amazon. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.
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