‘Bridgerton’ Team Teases Season 3: “This Is for the Wallflowers”

Attention, esteemed members of the ‘Ton. Netflix just released a plethora of new footage, photos and information about the upcoming third season of Bridgerton.

During a fan event for the series on Wednesday, Shonda Rhimes, showrunner Jess Brownell, author Julia Quinn, Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), Luke Newton (Colin Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Agathe Danbury), Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton) and Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich) sat on a panel where they shared brand new information ahead of season three.

The cast and crew kicked off the panel with a conversation between Rhimes, Brownell and Quinn about what fans can expect in the new installment, including the excitement of underdogs stepping into the light and leaning into a friends-to-lovers storyline for the first time.

“I think also Colin and Penelope are underdogs in many ways,” Brownell said. “You know you have Penelope, the perennial wallflower, and you have Colin, who’s the third son, who hasn’t quite found himself, and we get to see these characters step into their power this year, which I think will be they’ll make a lot of people who’ve ever had an unrequited crush or feel like an underdog before feel very seen.”

The women confirmed that the beloved scene in the book this season is based on, Romancing Mr. Briddgerton, where Penelope wraps Colin’s hand after he cuts it made it into the small screen adaptation.

Toward the end of the first panel, Brownell unveiled the episode titles of the season, which tease the season’s story arc: “Out of the Shadows,” “How Bright the Moon,” “Forces of Nature,” “Old Friends,” “Tick Tock,” “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” “Joining of Hands” and “Into the Light.”

Following those announcements, the cast joined Rhimes, Brownell and Quinn onstage to tease their characters’ arcs for the installment. They also introduced a strong new suitor for Penelope, Lord Debling, played by Sam Phillips.

The first question the cast was asked was how they would define the season in one word, and some of the responses were: intimate, confidence, mysterious, long-awaited, romantic, unpredictable, revelatory and mischievous.

Coughlan and Newton opened up about how it was interesting for them to play these characters as children in the first season and to have grown with them, as they become who they’re meant to be as adults.

Season three picks up shortly after the end of season two. Colin has just returned from his travels with Benedict, after Penelope overheard the third eldest Bridgerton brother talking about how he would never court her. Eloise and Penelope are on the outs after — spoiler alert! — the Bridgerton sibling found out her best friend was the town’s infamous gossip columnist, Lady Whistledown.

This installment in the series will not only see Penelope and Colin come together but also Penelope and Eloise, who Rhimes noted are kind of like the “second love story” of the season. “I think Eloise has still got a love for Penelope, and this huge thing, it’s a rock in a hard place,” Jessie said of Eloise and Penelope’s strained relationship at the start of the season.

Later in the conversation, Coughlan touched on what she hopes audiences will take from the season, echoing Brownell’s sentiments. “The story is so brilliant,” the actress explained. “I think we really wanted to do it justice, but I hope this season will make people who feel not seen, seen and make everyone realize how deserving and worthy they are of love.”

Of the new season, Rhimes teased, “I really do think this is for the wallflowers, but I also think there’s a line that Lady Danbury says in Queen Charlotte where she says, ‘We are untold stories,’ and I feel like this season really leans into the idea of telling those untold stories. You get to see a little bit of what’s going on emotionally with the more adult ladies in the show.”

The panel ended with a premiere of the first two minutes of Bridgerton season three (below), which Bronwell and Quinn admitted will feature Easter eggs from the books in every episode.

During the fan event, they also announced that Netflix will be throwing a Regency Era wedding for a lucky couple, with appearances from Rosheuvel, Andoh and a few other surprise guests.

Bridgerton season three premieres in two parts. The first one drops on Netflix on May 16, while part two will be released on June 13.