Simone Ashley Promises To Return For ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3

Fret not after that tumultuous Bridgerton season 2 finale: Lady Whistledown will write again. Netflix announced way back on April 13, 2021, that it had already renewed the dazzling period romance for both a third and fourth season, just as the highly anticipated season 2 began filming in the U.K.

Bridgerton is based on a series of eight novels (and multiple “epilogues”) written by Julia Quinn and adapted for Netflix by Shonda Rhimes’ Shondaland productions. They follow the Bridgerton family, comprised of widowed matriarch Violet (Ruth Gemmell) and her eight children, as they seek marriage matches in Regency England’s high society. The first season, which premiered Dec. 25, 2020, broke Netflix viewing records as it followed eldest daughter Daphne’s (Phoebe Dynevor) search for a husband, and her unexpected connection with the dashing Simon Basset, Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page). Season 2 then tackled the second book in the series, honing in on eldest brother Anthony (Jonathan Bailey)’s enemies-to-lovers romance with the foolhardy Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). But it seems Netflix has every intention to continue this story far beyond these installments.

“Bridgerton swept us off our feet,” Netflix VP of Global TV Bela Bajaria said in a statement when seasons 3 and 4 were first announced. “The creative team, led by Shonda, knew the material and delivered a beautiful, emotional, romantic drama for our members. They have some exciting plans for the future, and we think audiences will continue to swoon for this show. We’re planning to be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come.”

After a finale that ended in marital bliss for Anthony and Kate but stinging deception for Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and her best friend, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), here’s what we know about what could come next.

When will Bridgerton season 3 come out?

So far, there’s no word yet on when the next installment will land—only that it is, in fact, forthcoming. Season 2 premiered a little over a year after season 1, but given that production was slowed by the pandemic, it’s possible the creative team might hasten season 3’s development. If so, we could be looking at a spring 2023 debut date for the next chapter.

Who will the season focus on?

If the series continues to follow the chronology of the books, the next Bridgerton to get the lead treatment will be Benedict (Luke Thompson), who takes center stage in An Offer From a Gentleman. The story pulls heavily from Cinderella lore: Benedict falls for one Sophie Beckett, an earl’s daughter forced into servitude by her hateful stepmother.

But we have reason to believe the Bridgerton creators could scramble the timeline, putting Penelope, aka Lady Whistledown, and Bridgerton brother Colin (Luke Newton) in the hot seat instead. During an interview with E! News, Ashley let it slip that she was “super excited for the world to see Nicola and Luke rock it,” which the outlet interpreted as a tease that season 3 might skip ahead to showcase their romance.

When E! interviewed showrunner Chris Van Dusen, he played coy, adding, “We did a lot of work in these first two seasons as far as setting up Penelope and Colin’s love story. There’s so much yearning and so much angst there that it’s going to be really satisfying when the show gets to really focus on the two of them.”

Since season 2’s release, both Newton and Thompson have separately provided the skipping-Benedict argument with ammunition: First, Newton told E! News, “You never know what storylines are gonna overlap. So maybe, we have a shift in time.” Then, Thompson told Entertainment Weekly, “The thing is the books are the books, and the show is completely rooted in the books, but it’s not tied to the books…The books would indicate that the next one up is Benedict, but we don’t know that for sure because the show is the show, and the show has license to do all sorts of things.”

Apart from the romance at its focal point, season 3 will certainly delve deeper into its juicy subplots as well. At the end of season 2, Eloise had finally learned her best friend’s identity as Lady Whistledown; Jessie promises the fallout is unlikely to dissipate any time soon. She told ELLE.com, “I think Eloise won’t tell anyone [Penelope’s secret]. I think Eloise will continue to be a good mate and not tell anyone, because what does Eloise gain, really? I do think they’ll make up, but I don’t think it’s going to happen quickly.”

Will the cast return?

After Page famously departed Bridgerton following his season 1 run, citing his completed arc and one-season commitment to the series, many fans might be wondering if Bailey, Ashley, and other new favorites will return for the third season. Thankfully, Ashley confirmed to Deadline that both she and Bailey plan to participate. “We’re going to be back! Kate and Anthony are just getting started,” she told the outlet, adding, “I’d like to see Kate just let go a bit more and play more in season 3 and kind of swim in that circle of love together. I think they both deserve it.”

Other cast members who’ve yet to explore their own romances are expected to return as well, including Penelope, Eloise, Colin, Benedict and more. In an interview with ELLE.com, Jessie revealed she has every intention to play Eloise “for as long as they’ll let me. I’ll happily be doing this way into my 40s.”

On May 14, 2021, Netflix also announced Jess Brownell would take over as Bridgerton showrunner for seasons 3 and 4. While we eagerly await further news from the ton, you’re always welcome to dip into the source material to satisfy your cravings.

Read the Books that Inspired ‘Bridgerton’

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