Colin and Penelope’s love story is finally here and this new season of Bridgerton will have you at the edge of your seat. From Shondaland and new showrunner, Jess Brownell, this season will find the duo at the forefront of the Ton. 

“Usually we’re meeting a new person who’s falling in love with one of our regulars,” said Shonda Rhimes when asked about the new season. “But this time we know the people who are already falling in love.”

After a two-year wait, viewers can expect a season that surpasses all expectations. 

This season is centred around Penelope’s journey on the marriage mart, as Colin takes her under his wing and mentors her to find suitors. But when these lessons start working a little too well, Colin grapples with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. To complicate matters, Eloise finds solace in her growing friendship with Cressida. While Penelope’s presence in the Ton becomes increasingly apparent with her search, it makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret. 

 “Colin and Penelope are underdogs in many ways… we get to see these characters step into their power this year, which I think will make a lot of people who have ever had an unrequited crush or felt like an underdog before feel very seen,” said Brownell.

Alongside the leads of the season, the new episodes take viewers on a journey through the debut season with Francesca Bridgerton, Kate and Anthony’s life post-marriage, and a look into Eloise and Penelope’s quarrels. What would Bridgerton be without the fan favourite Benedict, who appears tired of societal conventions this season.

Francesca’s debut introduces a new love interest, John Stirling, played by Victor Alli, who describes him as ‘charming.’ “He’s able to assess the situation and present solutions in a sweet and unconventional way,” Alli told us. 

Francesa’s debut differs from that of her siblings as she shies away from the spotlight. Stirling takes notice and becomes a source of comfort for her throughout her season, but is later met with some difficulties.  

There is much to look forward to with unforeseeable side plots following the Featherington and Mondrich families. Both continue to face shortcomings with their social statuses in the Ton, however at extremely different lengths. 

“I was quite ready to show a vulnerable side of Philippa and Prudence with the rest of the characters,” says Bessie Carter, who plays Prudence Featherington. “We all show a few more layers, so we aren’t just the comic relief, though we are still very funny. But we got to show a bit more of their real side.”

With promises of new characters and a soundtrack stacked with string renditions of beloved pop songs, there is so much to look forward to in this third season of Bridgerton. 

Bridgerton Season 3 will stream on Netflix with Part 1 dropping on May 16 and Part 2 on June 13.