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In 2020, Bridgerton debuted on Netflix to much fanfare. The hit period piece, based on Julia Quinn's romance novels, made stars of Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page and introduced viewers to a world dominated by society galas, family drama, and delicious gossip. The Shonda Rhimes-produced show was such a success that it was renewed for a second season just a month after season one dropped. And then later on, it was picked up again for seasons three and four.

While season three will not premiere for some time—season two debuted in spring 2022, and a prequel, Queen Charlotte, dropped in spring 2023—viewers can still eagerly anticipate more Bridgerton to come. Keep reading for all the information about the show's third season.

Bridgerton will have a third and fourth season.

In April 2021, Shondaland TV, Shonda Rhimes's production company, tweeted a special message from the show's omniscient narrator and gossip columnist Lady Whistledown.

"Esteemed members of the Ton," the letter read. "It seems we have a rather special announcement. Bridgerton shall return for seasons three and four. This author shall have to purchase more ink..."

Rhimes is looking forward to continuing the series.

Shonda Rhimes, the showrunner behind Grey's Anatomy, Scandal, and now Bridgerton, released a statement, detailing her excitement for the upcoming seasons.

"From the first time I read Julia Quinn’s delicious Bridgerton series, I knew these were stories that would captivate a viewing audience. But the evolution of this adaptation would not be a success without the many significant contributions of the entire Shondaland team," she said.

"This two-season pickup is a strong vote of confidence in our work and I feel incredibly grateful to have partners as collaborative and creative as Netflix," Rhimes continued. "Betsy [Beers, executive producer] and I are thrilled to have the opportunity to continue bringing the world of Bridgerton to a worldwide audience."

In an interview with Town & Country, Rhimes shared, "It's going to be as exciting, and as inviting and enjoyable as seasons 1 and 2, we already know that. I'm already enjoying watching things, so it's going to be great."

Simone Ashley and Jonathan Bailey will return for season three.

Season two star Simone Ashley confirmed that she and Jonathan Bailey will be returning for Bridgerton season three and season four. She said, "In season two, there was a lot of push and pull between Kate and Anthony, there were complications with the family, and then they find each other towards the end. I think everything is just starting. I’d like to see Kate just let go a bit more and play more in season three and kind of swim in that circle of love together. I think they both deserve it."

Ashley also revealed that she'd love to see Kate and Anthony have a baby in the third season. She told IMDB, "I'm excited to see Kate become Viscountess and head of the household. I think she has much to learn from Anthony. They'll be two little partners. I'd love to see them have a baby, to put it simply. Maybe that will happen, maybe it won't."

In a new interview with Vogue UK, Ashley shared that season three follows Kate and Anthony in their honeymoon phase. "We’re filming a dance this week and tonally, it’s so different – sweet, endearing and light, compared to the heaviness of their story last season," she shared. The actress also hinted that season three will "get super steamy"—but she didn't share which couple(s) will be the focus of the steaminess.

Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page will not be in season three.

Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings Simon Bassett, did not return to the show for season two, and he won't be back for season three. He shared that the show should feel free to recast his role.

Page confirmed via Instagram that he will not be reprising his role as the Duke of Hastings in the third season. "The papers made that one up," he wrote, alongside a photo of him and Jonathan Bailey at Milan Fashion Week. "But we had the best, and most stylish, catch up I’ve had in a while over some truly excellent Italian coffee and sunshine."

Phoebe Dynevor, who plays Daphne Bridgerton, will not be returning for season three, either. "Sadly not in season three. Potentially in the future," the actress told Screen Rant. "Season three, I’m just excited to watch as a viewer."

The role of Francesca Bridgerton was recast.

Hannah Dodd will be taking over the role of Francesca Bridgerton starting in season three. Dodd takes over from Ruby Stokes, who left Bridgerton to star in Netflix's Lockwood & Co. Dodd most recently appeared in Anatomy of a Scandal as Young Sophie, the younger version of Sienna Miller's character.

Viewers wondered why Francesca wasn't in more of season two, and it was because Stokes's filming schedule conflicted with Bridgerton. "I love Francesca, but we lost her midway through season two," Bridgerton creator Chris Van Dusen said. "After exhausting all other options, she unfortunately had to come out due to reasons beyond our control." Evidently, it was too challenging for Stokes to balance both shows moving forward.

After filming began, Dodd shared, "I’m so excited. Everybody’s been so lovely. I just want to do a good job."

A few new cast members will be joining the ton in season three, including Daniel Francis as Marcus Anderson, "a charismatic presence who lights up any room he enters," Sam Phillips as Lord Debling, a "genial lord with unusual interests," and James Phoon as Harry Dankworth, a good-looking man who "lacks in wit and intelligence."

Season three will focus on Colin and Penelope's love story.

While Bridgerton the series has not followed Quinn's books exactly, it certainly follows the novels' general premise. Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight, "We're definitely planning on following each of the [Bridgerton] sibling's romantic stories." Yet, she added, "We're not necessarily going in order—but we are going to be seeing each one of the siblings and their stories." Some fans took that to mean that season three will feature Colin and Penelope's love story—a theory Netflix confirmed in mid-May 2022 in interviews with Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton.

"I feel like if you see Penelope fawning over this boy for another season, you’ll be like, ‘Get it together! Come on, move on and get over it,'" Coughlan told Netflix's Tudum. "[Showrunner] Jess [Brownell] has talked to Luke and I through the season, and I think people are going to be really obsessed. I think book fans are going to be happy."

"I love Polin," Luke Newton added. "There's so much love for that relationship. Which brings its pressures because there are people that are really excited about this story to come to the forefront. But also it really warms me."

Bailey says he's ready to pass the baton of the lead role to Newton for season 3. "I’ll be so proud to watch Luke take over ‘Bridgerton’ baton. And yeah, I couldn’t wish for anything else. And also, it’s really important to be there because obviously, [Anthony’s] the older bro, but to make space and to make sure that they have their amazing sweeping love story as well.”

Season three began filming in London in summer 2022.

In a rare behind the scenes video from the set, a bevy of cast members hold up three fingers to the camera.

The video ends with Luke Newton, who plays Colin, opening a carriage door to Nicola Coughlin, who plays Penelope. Nicola then says, "Bridgerton season three filming has officially begun." To Luke, she asks, "You comin' in?" And he replies, "Let's go!"

Along with the video, Netflix released a full synopsis of the season, which details how Penelope will begin the season having given up on her crush on Colin and is determined to take a husband. Colin, however, starts to grapple with whether or not he views Penelope as just a friend.

At the end of July, Ashley shared snaps confirming she, too, was back on set. One selfie featured a snap of her with a stuffed corgi, and another showed her holding hands with Jonathan Bailey. She captioned the shot of the hands "with Kanthony," tagging Bailey in the picture:

In August, Bridgerton's social media showed a photo of Newton and Coughlin on set, with Phoebe Dynevor photobombing.

"We’re filming well into the new year, it takes months and months to film a season," Nicola Coughlan said during London Fashion Week in mid-September. Coughlan also revealed they've only filmed two episodes.

In March 2023, Coughlan posted a photo of her and Newton celebrating, and fans in the comments speculated the photo was snapped at a wrap party for the season:

There's no premiere date yet.

Hopefully, we'll see season three hit our screens during the second half of 2023.

The show will continue to draw inspiration from Quinn's novels, but out of order

The show's second season loosely followed the series' second book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, and season three will focus on the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.

"Everybody's going to have a main arc every season. There's going to be one for each one of the Bridgertons. We laid out the story in a way that felt right and necessary for us. And, eventually, every last one of those Bridgertons is going to have a love story," Rhimes explained to Town & Country.

There are plenty more Quinn novels to chart the ensuing seasons. See the whole series below.

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