It’s official: Bridgerton Season 3 is coming in 2024, but with another change this time, including the detail that the narrative isn’t following the book’s chronological order. The season will be split into two, as Netflix has been doing recently, with Part 1 releasing on May 16 and Part 2 on June 13.
In more ways than one, the decision adds a ton of frustrating barriers to a season that’s already highly questionable, considering we have no idea how the show will approach the book. We’ve decided early on that we’re compartmentalizing and looking at the two stories with different lenses, but a show like Bridgerton isn’t one that should be split. The strategy does nothing to heighten the buzz around The Crown or even something like Virgin River. It also didn’t do much for The Witcher either. Really, its only success has been Stranger Things, which feels like an exception rather than a new rule anyway.
Netflix’s Official Synopsis: Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing his disparaging words about her last season. She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly. Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder. Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.
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Still, as excited as we are to have Bridgerton Season 3 next year, we’re more nervous than ever. There will likely be a big cliffhanger in Episode 4 (don’t think about how Season 2’s ended then). At the same time, a large part of the reason the show is as unique as it is boils down to the binging format. There aren’t many shows we’d eagerly sit down to watch on Christmas Day, but the world did in 2020. And sure, we can maybe note that COVID-19 played a vast role in that, but it made the process far more enjoyable to have a contained story.
There isn’t much else we know about the season other than it’ll follow Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington’s road to a happy ending, but perhaps a teaser is on the horizon to give us a small glimpse that the new photos do very little of providing. Still, they’re cute, and we can’t wait to see what the season has in store for them.
How do you feel about Netflix splitting Bridgerton Season 3 into two parts? Good? Bad? Eh? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: Cr. Laurence Cendrowicz/Netflix © 2023