Season three of ‘Bridgerton’ will be full of sparks

The long wait is finally over for Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. The “Bridgerton” cast members – who portray Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton respectfully – started working on the third season of the Netflix series two years ago. They finished working on the eight episodes a year ago.

Their hard work can finally be seen as the first four episodes of the new season will be available on the streaming service starting May 16. The final four episodes will be available starting June 13.

Adding to the natural anxiousness of waiting for the public to see their work is the fact their characters will be central figures in the period romance from Shonda Rhimes. Newton’s excitement for the new season comes from the small number of people who have been able to see the third season episodes in advance. He describes the reaction as an overwhelming sense of positivity.

The series became an instant hit when it debuted in 2020 but the actors didn’t get to feel the full impact of the show in the first season as it unfolded during the pandemic.

Coughlan says, “This is really different because in the first season we really didn’t know what it was going to be. It blew up in such a way that we all thought this was crazy.

“At the premiere last night, we got to sit in and watch with an audience for the first time. It was like nothing I had ever experienced. People were cheering, shouting, whooping. We make the show in a warehouse in West London and it feels very closed off from the rest of the world.”

What has caught the attention of fans around the globe is the series based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling series of novels. The streaming production is set in the sexy, lavish and competitive world of Regency London high society. From the ballrooms of Mayfair to the palaces of Park Lane and beyond, the series unveils a seductive, sumptuous world replete with intricate rules and dramatic power struggles, where no one is truly ever on steady ground.

The central focus is the powerful Bridgerton family made up of eight close-knit siblings. Colin Bridgerton – as played by Newton – has been the object of the attention of Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) for years. The third season opens with her finally giving up on her long-held crush on Colin after hearing his disparaging words about her last season.

Penelope will turn her attention to others as he has decided it’s time to take a husband. That does not mean the connection between Colin and Penelope will disappear.

“I think what is beautifully done this year is the moments of intimacy between them which are handpicked which we know are fan favorite moments,” Newton says. “They feel really important to their love story because it sort of exposes them not only physically but emotionally.

“It really breaks the characters down and they see each other in a completely different light.”

The romantic elements that will be revealed this season between the characters played by Newton and Coughlan will be the culmination of what has started in the first two seasons.

Coughlin appreciates the foundation that has been established.

‘A lot of time as an actor you are imagining the backstory,” Coughlin says. “With television we don’t have the luxury of time to rehearse so we just have to go in and hope for the best on the day.”

Coughlin and Newton were so committed to their characters from the start that they have spent many hours during the first two seasons discussing who they are and how they connect. What they have decided is that their characters are underdogs because they are both a bit awkward and that makes them very relatable to the audience.

What has made them fan favorites is the spark that has always existed between them.

Newton says, “Colin now sees her in a different light and I think that is a massive factor of this season. She’s sort of been put down from everything that surrounds her. But she’s got bigger dreams than that and that is what’s sort of attractive to Colin.”

The actors who have caught the attention of the legion of “Bridgerton” fans are relatively new to the acting world. Coughlan is an Irish actress who is best known for the sitcom “Derry Girls.” Newton is an English actor who had roles in the drama “The Cut” and the series “The Lodge.” The cast of “Bridgeton” also includes Victor Alli (John Stirling), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), Joanna Bobin (Lady Cowper), Harriet Cains (Philippa Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Dominic Coleman (Lord Cowper), Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton), Daniel Francis (Lord Marcus Anderson) and Julie Andrews (Lady Whistledown)

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