Key Takeaways
- Bridgerton season 3 is confirmed, along with a fourth season, by Netflix.
- The release date for Bridgerton season 3 has not been officially announced yet, but it is expected to land in the next few months.
- Season 3 will focus on the budding relationship between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, deviating from the order of the books.
Glossy period drama (with much more sex and scandal) – Bridgerton – first graced Netflix in late 2020 and it was excellent. It was the TV series that had us all hooked on Lady Whistledown’s detailing of the events from start to finish, further fuelled by the second season that hit our screens in March 2022.
The first series was inspired by Juila Quinn’s book – ‘The Duke and I’ – while the second series was inspired by Quinn’s second book – ‘The Viscount Who Loved Me’. There are eight books in total so there is plenty of material to see us binge on Bridgerton for quite a while longer. With season 3 and 4 already confirmed by Netflix, here is everything we know so far about Bridgerton season 3 and when it will hit our screens.
Bridgerton season 3 release date: When is it out?
Liam Daniel / Netlfix 2023
Netflix confirmed Bridgerton would see a season 3 (and 4 for that matter) on 13 April 2021. It hasn’t yet confirmed when Bridgerton season 3 will air yet, however. Some fans reported that Netflix posted a release date of 14 December 2023 on its social media channels before swiftly removing it, but for now, nothing has been officially detailed – or at least not officially detailed and still online for us all to see.
Bridgerton season 2 aired on 25 March 2022, while season 1 aired on 25 December 2020. It’s therefore more than a year since season 2, which would suggest season 3 could arrive anytime in the next few months. December wouldn’t be a huge surprise but there were also reports Shonda Rhimes wasn’t happy about some of the plotline and there could be a delay as a result, so for now it’s a wait and see game.
Production was well underway in July 2022, with Netflix releasing a YouTube video to let us know, and filming is wrapped up now, so hopefully the wait won’t be too much longer.
How and where to watch Bridgerton season 3
When Bridgerton season 3 does land, it will be on Netflix only. Unsurprising, given it’s a Netflix original series – and one of the biggest ones so far – so you’ll need to make sure you have your Netflix subscription ready.
How many episodes will there be in Bridgerton season 3?
Bridgerton season 1 and season 2 both had eight episodes so it wouldn’t be too surprising to see a similar number for season 3, though currently we don’t know.
Each episode is likely to be an hour long though – or just over, as they were in season 1 and season 2, so we can hope for at least eight hours of more drama and Lady Whistledown reporting.
What is expected to happen in Bridgerton season 3
Liam Daniel / Netflix 2021
As mentioned, the first season of Bridgerton was inspired by Julia Quinn’s ‘The Duke and I’, which focused on the relationship between the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset, and the oldest of the Bridgerton daughters, Daphne Bridgerton. The second season of Bridgerton was inspired by the second book – ‘The Viscount Who Loved Me‘ and it centred around head of the Bridgerton household, Anthony Bridgerton, and his quest to finally find a suitable wife. This saw him involved with the Sharma sisters and followed his battle between marrying for duty and marrying for love.
Netflix has confirmed the third season “will follow the budding relationship between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington”, so the series will now deviate from the order of the books.
The third book would have been Quinn’s ‘An Offer From A Gentleman‘, which would likely have focused on the second eldest Bridgerton bachelor, Benedict. The book synopsis of ‘An Offer From A Gentleman‘ is pretty much Cinderella, though keep in mind that the series – which could now be season 4 potentially – could defer from the book rather than follow it to the letter when we do get to this book.
Liam Daniel / Netflix 2022
In the third book though, Sophie Beckett – who was adopted by the Earl of Penwood before he died – is left with a countess who is not a fan and relegates Sophie to the role of a servant. Sophie manages to sneak into Lady Bridgerton’s ball, capturing the attention of Benedict. Alas though, once the night of the ball is over, Sophie returns to her role as a servant and Benedict is left blinded by the mystery woman, swearing to find her again. Sounds like a pretty good plot for Lady Whistledown to meddle with in her Society Papers, hey?
Shonda Rhimes previously said there were plans for each series to focus on a different Bridgerton sibling and their love story, she wouldn’t confirm to Entertainment Tonight which order they would go in. She told the publication: “We’re not necessarily going in order but we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their stories.”
Liam Daniel / Netflix 2023
Given Netflix has confirmed it’s Colin and Penelope’s turn, the order has now been changed, so it will be harder to predict who will be next for season 4. Along with Penelope and Colin’s relationship, there will also no doubt be some focus on Penelope Fetherington and Eloise Bridgerton in season 3 too, after Eloise found out Penelope’s secret at the end of season 2. Will the two ladies rebuild their friendship and perhaps even work together, or will Eloise reveal Penelope’s identity to the rest of the Ton?
Laurence Cendrowicz / Netflix 2022
With regards to Colin and Penelope, him and Penelope seemed to finally be getting somewhere in the second season, before poor Penelope overheard Colin’s conversation with some of the other eligible bachelors, so it will be interesting to see how that plays out.
Netflix did release a teaser clip discussing season 3 during its Tudum event in September 2022. You can watch it below and while it doesn’t give much away, it does show Nicola Coughlan (Penelope), Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton) and Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton).
The streaming platform then hosted another Tudum event in June 2023 where it revealed a series of images surrounding season 3, but there is still no release date.
Who will be cast in Bridgerton season 3?
Liam Daniel / Netflix 2021
Netflix has confirmed some of the cast for season 3 thanks to a production announcement video it posted, and there have also been some separate announcements around various actors and actresses social channels. Here is who will be cast in season 3 from what we have heard so far:
- Nicola Coughlan – Penelope Featherington
- Luke Newton – Colin Bridgerton
- Jonathan Bailey – Anthony Bridgerton
- Luke Thompson – Benedict Bridgerton
- Lady Bridgerton – Ruth Gemmell
- Claudia Jessie – Eloise Bridgerton
- Adjoa Andoh – Lady Danbury
- Golda Rosheuvel – Queen Charlotte
- Polly Walker – Lady Featherington
- Daniel Francis – Marcus Anderson
- Sam Phillips – Lord Debling
- James Phoon – Harry Dankworth
- Hannah Dodd – Francesca Bridgerton
- Simone Ashley – Kate Bridgerton née Sharma
- David Mumeni – Lord Samadani
We are also expecting the following to return for season 3, though they haven’t been confirmed as yet:
- Charithra Chandran – Edwina Sharma
- Shelly Conn – Mary Sharma
There have been some rumours that Rege-Jean Page – who played Simon, the Duke of Hastings – is in talks with the shows bosses about a potential return to the show for season 3, though the actor has also dismissed these claims in an Instagram post so for now, that’s still a big maybe.
It’s become highly unlikely the Duke of Hastings will return though as Phoebe Dynevor who played Daphne Bridgerton has confirmed she won’t be returning for season 3.
Where to catch up on Bridgerton season 1 and 2
Liam Daniel / Netflix 2022
All 16 episodes of Bridgerton season 1 and season 2 are available to watch on Netflix, so you can refresh your memory as to what happened in both social seasons as much as you like ahead of season 3.
Will there be a season 4 of Bridgerton?
Yes. Netflix confirmed there would be a season 4 of Bridgerton at the same time it confirmed season 3 so there is plenty of drama still to come.
Trending Products
