"Bridgerton" Season 3 Is Getting Closer Every Day, So Here's Everything We Know

Dearest readers, I'll see you on May 16, 2024. Until then, I'll be watching the trailer on a loop.

Dearest gentle reader, there's something new in the air. It's POLIN, because Bridgerton Season 3 is just around the corner.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Here's everything we know about the new season so far, including the release date, returning cast members, sneak peeks, AND A TRAILER:

1. First things first, mark this date in your social calendar. Season 3 Part One will premiere on May 16, 2024, and Part Two will follow on June 13, 2024.

Yes, it's sad but true. Bridgerton Season 3 will follow Netflix's recent trend of releasing their new seasons in two parts. Filming for Season 3 started in July 2022 and wrapped in mid-March 2023.

2. WE HAVE A TRAILER. Let's break it down, shall we?

Netflix

The trailer gives us a preview of what we can expect this season, including:

– Francesca's debut

– Kate and Anthony canoodling in every room in London, whether in private or in public

– Penelope's decision that she needs a husband so she can move out of Featherington house and Colin's offer to help her find one, which leads to Penelope attempting to flirt with the gentlemen of the ton

– Eloise's continued rift with Penelope and her new friendship with Cressida Cowper, of all people

– Penelope's makeover, which garners Lord Debling's attention and Colin's jealousy (!!!!)

– Violet's possible flirtation with Lord Marcus Anderson

– The trailer has two shots of the Mondriches, which implies they'll have a big storyline this season.

One thing to remember: this trailer might only include scenes from Part 1, since Netflix will be releasing that first. Keep reading for more details on all these plotlines!

3. Here are the Season 3 episodes titles:

Netflix

301 – Out of the Shadows

302 – How Bright the Moon

303 – Forces of Nature

304 – Old Friends

305 – Tick Tock

306 – Romancing Mister Bridgerton

307 – Joining of Hands

308 – Into the Light

4. The main event this social season? POLIN. Season 3 is going to focus on the relationship between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, and it will be based on Romancing Mr. Bridgerton by Julia Quinn.

Liam Daniel / courtesy Netflix

This relationship has been teased since the very first episode of Bridgerton, and it's high time these friends became lovers! We (and Penelope) have been patient enough. There's also the matter of Penelope being Lady Whistledown, which might complicate their blooming romance. Equally important, they look hot together.

5. Joining Colin and Penelope are, of course, the rest of the Bridgertons and Featheringtons, Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte, the Mondriches, other members of the ton, and several new characters — more on them further down!

/ LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

Returning cast members include Adjoa Andoh, Lorraine Ashbourne, Simone Ashely, Jonathan Bailey, Harriet Cains, Bessie Carter, Ruth Gemmell, Florence Hunt, Martins Imhangbe, Claudia Jessie, Jessica Madsen, Emma Naomi, Golda Rosheuvel, Hugh Sachs, Will Tilston, Luke Thompson, Polly Walker, and THE Julie Andrews.

6. It wouldn't be a social season without the Viscount and Viscountess — Kate and Anthony will be back for Season 3 as well, and from the looks of it they will be disgustingly in love with each other.

Liam Daniel / Courtesy Netflix

It's been over two years, but #Kanthony still makes me hot under the collar. Simone teased that we'll see a more "sweet, endearing, and light" side of Kate and Anthony's relationship after all the drama of Season 2 and that Kate will be "quite content" with her husband. Apropos of nothing, she also said she thinks Season 3 will be "hotter than ever." Excuse me?????

From the trailer, it's not clear if Lord and Lady Bridgerton will have a substantial storyline or if they'll just be hanging out in every room having obscene PDA. I won't complain either way, but I would LOVE to see these two prepare for parenthood.

Netflix gave us a little peek in at the newlyweds in this clip from Season 3. Just look at them!!!

Netflix

If this is how Anthony acts in public...

7. But back to #Polin. Things aren't going so great for Penelope at the start of Season 3. She's still fighting with Eloise, Colin isn't interested in courting her, her family continues to be exhausting, and she's still wearing those damn yellow dresses.

Liam Daniel/Netflix, / LIAM DANIEL/NETFLIX

It appears Penelope's older sister Prudence may have gotten married to or is seriously courting Harry Dankworth, played by new cast member James Phoon. According to the character description provided by Netflix, Harry isn't smart but makes up for it with "serious good looks."

8. Lady Whistledown is nothing if not proactive, and she won't stay down for long. Netflix teased that Penelope is going to decide to give up her crush on Colin Bridgerton because she thinks there's no hope there, and her feelings are hurt after she overheard him telling all his friends he'd "never" court her at the end of Season 2.

Courtesy of Netflix

The trailer confirms that Penelope will be focused on "finding a husband who will respect her independence" so she can keep being Lady Whistledown and get away from her family.

Though clearly, if this picture is anything to go by, it won't be long before those pesky feelings for Colin come up again.

Things are pretty frosty between them in this sneak peek:

Netflix

Am I hallucinating or is Colin shamelessly checking her out at 0:07??

9. And no, your eyes are not deceiving you: Penelope is changing her look quite a bit for the new season. The bright yellow dresses were iconic in their own way, but this sage-y green gown and new hairstyle are quite fetching, wouldn't you say?

Courtesy of Netflix

Nicola Coughlan had previously teased that we might see Penelope in a new color palette and that her dresses would be cut differently. And she did not lie!

10. Colin will indeed be disappointed to find that Penelope is giving him the cold shoulder, but he has a plan to win back her friendship. This plan involves the incredibly questionable decision to give Pen courting advice so she can boost her confidence and attract "the perfect husband."

Courtesy of Netflix

The perfect husband is YOU, dummy. But also can we get a little commotion for Colin's new, tousled hair?? Dashing.

Here's a first look at that advice in a clip from Season 3. Just a friend helping a friend! Nothing more than that happening here.

Netflix

11. Colin's plan works a little too well, and Penelope catches the eye of Lord Debling (Sam Philips), a lord with "eccentric interests (and enough wealth for anyone to overlook them)." And I know we're all rooting for #Polin, but I have to say it: Lord Debling is a snack.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Sam Phillips joins the cast this season and sums up his character quite nicely: "He lives on the fringes of society, and he is after a love match this season; he’s after someone who goes against the grain, someone who is a little bit of an outsider like him. And he spots Penelope. He thinks she’s special because she’s sort of seen as an outsider too. Lord Debling is interested in other things outside of the norms of society. For instance, he loves wildlife, he’s a conservationist, and he is a vegetarian."

Showrunner Jess Brownell teased that Debling "would’ve been great for [Penelope], if she hadn’t been in love with the same guy since she was a kid.”

Courtesy of Netflix

Sam Phillips joins the cast this season and sums up his character quite nicely: "He lives on the fringes of society, and he is after a love match this season; he’s after someone who goes against the grain, someone who is a little bit of an outsider like him. And he spots Penelope. He thinks she’s special because she’s sort of seen as an outsider too. Lord Debling is interested in other things outside of the norms of society. For instance, he loves wildlife, he’s a conservationist, and he is a vegetarian."

Showrunner Jess Brownell teased that Debling "would’ve been great for [Penelope], if she hadn’t been in love with the same guy since she was a kid.”

12. You'll be happy to know that the show is ignoring any references from the book that allude to Penelope losing weight.

Courtesy of Netflix

Which is great, because implying that Penelope could only get Colin's attention after losing weight would be stupid, inaccurate, and boring.

13. And you'll be even happier to know Nicola Coughlan said that the season will otherwise stay very true to the book, and you should expect to see ~certain~ iconic scenes.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Her words exactly: "It's a spicy one. It's a lot of the stuff from the books that the fans expect has made it into the show."

But don't get too excited. Vanity Fair confirmed that the second half of the season, dropping in June, will be where we find the steamier scenes.

We certainly can't take that as confirmation of anything specific, but maybe a scene involving a carriage? Perhaps a mirror? You didn't hear it from me.

14. Now onto Penelope's other main relationship. Eloise will still be reeling from her huge fight with Pen, but she'll find "a new friend in a very unlikely place" and try a new, more open-minded approach to the social season.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Season 3 will answer the question of whether Eloise and Penelope have outgrown each other or if they can use their time apart to grow and come back together. One thing's for sure: Eloise will have strong feelings about her brother Colin potentially marrying Lady Whistledown.

15. That new friend? None other than ton mean girl CRESSIDA COWPER.

Courtesy of Netflix

If you've been watching the show, you know that this is quite scandalous. Cressida was Daphne's enemy in Season 1 and has been bullying Penelope for years, going as far as dumping a glass of wine on her dress. Eloise previously said she'd rather die than be friends with Cressida. 

But alas, Eloise is a bit adrift this season without Pen, and chooses to play along a bit more with society's rules. This leads her to Cressida, who perfectly embodies the ton's ideals. Cressida herself is reflecting a bit since it'll be her third year out in society without a husband, and we'll see a new side to her as well as her home life.

But old habits die hard, and Cressida won't be able to help herself from going after fellow blondie Lord Debling even though he's courting Penelope. 

16. The focus on Colin and Penelope this season means that the show is officially no longer following the order of the books, but don't worry: The plan, according to Shonda Rhimes, is for the show to get to each sibling's love story and have eight seasons.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

The third book in the Bridgerton series is An Offer from a Gentleman, which centers Benedict. Romancing Mr. Brigerton is the fourth book. 

17. Even though he won't be the romantic lead in Season 3 as some expected, Benedict will still have an important role.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Jess Brownell said that even though the show isn't getting to his love story just yet, Benedict will still be "a vital part of Season 3." 

And Luke Thompson recently said that in Season 3 Benedict will be taking over some of the responsibilities that used to fall to Anthony. 

18. Adjoa Andoh teased that we can expect Lady Danbury's backstory, which we saw in Queen Charlotte, to "absolutely inform what we see onscreen in Season 3."

Liam Daniel / Netflix

"There's always a wider expanse of who the characters are that will certainly be true for Lady Danbury, a more complex leaning into what their history is," she told Digital Spy. 

19. The new season will also see the fallout of ~a certain revelation~ between Lady Danbury and Lady Violet at the end of Queen Charlotte.

Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

At the end of Queen Charlotte, Violet found out that her friend Agatha AKA Lady Danbury had had an affair with her father after Lord Danbury died. However, Violet's mother— not a nice woman at all — was very much alive at the time, meaning that Violet just learned that her dad cheated on her mom with her close friend. I don't see this breaking the friendship between the ton's matchmaking duo, but things could be a bit awkward between them for a while.

If anything, it's quite sweet that Lady Danbury's concern for the Bridgerton kids stems from her love for their grandfather.

20. Another huge development for the dowagers: The trailer gave us our first look at Marcus Anderson (Daniel Francis), who seems like he may be flirting with BOTH Violet and Lady Danbury.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

I'm just saying, the trailer clearly showed Marcus connecting with Violet and this still shows him standing REAL CLOSE to Lady Danbury. Netflix describes Marcus as a "charismatic presence who lights up any room he enters." He'll be "attracting the notice of certain matriarchs in the town — and the ire of others." Based on what we've seen, he could be flirting with Violet and fighting with Agatha. 

This ties into what we learned about Violet in Queen Charlotte, where it seemed like she might be open to finding a ~male companion~ after more than a decade of mourning her husband Edmund. To quote the Dowager Vicountess, her garden is in bloom and needs tending!

21. Also wading into the Regency dating pool will be a newly recast Francesca Bridgerton, who will be making her society debut this season.

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Liam Daniel/Netflix

Hannah Dodd will be taking over the role of Francesca from Ruby Stokes.

Netflix/Courtesy Everett Collection / Getty Images

Fracesca is the next Bridgerton daughter scheduled to have her debut in society — she's only a year younger than Eloise. It's very possible that her presentation will be a plot point in Season 3, especially considering that the plot of When He Was Wicked (Francesca's story in the book series) requires a little bit of buildup. 

22. Also joining the show is Hannah New as "firebrand widow" Lady Tilley Arnold.

Todd Williamson / Getty Images

Per Deadline, Lady Arnold is a young widow who "enjoys the privileges and power that come with being at the helm of her former husband’s estate, living life on her own terms with financial independence and sexual freedom." Titillating!

At the other end, there's a few familiar faces who won't be returning for Season 3.

23. Daphne won't be back for the new season despite having her second baby offscreen.

Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

Phoebe Dynevor, the actor behind the Duchess of Hastings, revealed in January 2023 that we won't see Daphne in Season 3. "I did my two seasons,” she told Variety. "I’ve done what I wanted to do with that character and she had a great arc. If they ask me back in the future who knows." 

This is obviously a huge shake up for the show, but the truth is Daphne's arc is pretty complete. Phoebe has a lot of exciting projects coming up that might keep her too busy to stand in the background of multiple Bridgerton scenes, holding a baby and explaining why Simon isn't there. Hopefully the show can bring her back with an exciting storyline!

As for that second baby, it does indeed seem like the Duke and Duchess have welcomed their second child in between seasons! In the Bridgerton spin-off Queen Charlotte, Lady Violet is shown playing with two babies in the very first episode. One of them is clearly little Auggie who we met in Season 2, but who is the second one? You might assume that it's Kate and Anthony's first child, but Violet confirms that those two are still off on their six-month honeymoon. Therefore, that can only be Hastings-Bridgerton baby #2. 

24. Another character we shouldn't expect to see again is Marina Crane, played by Ruby Barker in the first two seasons.

Courtesy of Netflix

Marina was pretty much a lead character in Season 1, and Ruby reprised her role in Episode 4 of the second season. Ruby has spoken extensively about the mental health challenges she dealt with while working on the show, and said that it "wouldn't be [her] choice" to return. Ruby currently works with Wellbeing in the Arts and MIND, two mental health organizations in the UK, in addition to her acting roles.

Ruby's decision is even more understandable and commendable considering the fact that Marina's arc in the books centers around her deteriorating mental health during her marriage to Sir Phillip. Personally, I hope the show is able to avoid that storyline altogether whether or not Marina appears onscreen. 

25. Charithra Chandran will also not be returning as Edwina in Season 3.

Liam Daniel / Netflix / Courtesy Everett Collection

26. Finally, Regé-Jean Page will NOT be returning to the show, despite initial rumors to the contrary. He even said that the show is "free to do as they like" with regards to recasting his role.

Netflix

DAMMIT.

See you soon, dearest readers.