We Have a First Look At Kate and Anthony In This "Bridgerton" Season 2 Clip

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Warning: This story contains major Bridgerton spoilers.

Bridgerton, the Shonda Rhimes-produced period drama adapted from Julia Quinn's The Duke & I, was one of the highlights of 2020. The lavish sets, delightfully British characters, and lead Regé-Jean Page had us hooked. We were even using vocabulary from the Regency era. So the show's 12 Emmy nominations (and one wine) should come as no surprise. Now, we have been graciously gifted both photos and a full one minute clip from season 2. And they reveal our very first look at our new leading lady, Kate Sharma, played by Simone Ashley.

But before we get to that, we ask ourselves, what will Bridgerton's second season have to offer? Because Lady Whistledown's reveal and mysterious buzzing bee in the season 1 finale left fans with a number of questions. Luckily, Netflix is not only giving us a second season that follows the eldest Bridgerton sibling, Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), but they're giving us seasons 3 and 4 too.

Based on the pattern of the first two seasons, they're likely to follow the love stories of the second and third-oldest siblings, Benedict and Colin—who, spoiler alert, ends up with Penelope. This shift in focus means Page will not be returning as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings, in season 2. We assume this will be the case for all subsequent seasons, so we'll give you a moment to let that settle in.

The Duke's wife, on the other hand, will return. Daphne (played by Phoebe Dynevor) will be there to help her oldest brother navigate the upcoming social season.

"Anthony is going to have a love interest and it's going to be as sweeping and as beautiful as viewers have come to expect from the show," creator Chris Van Dusen told TODAY when teasing season 2.

Here's everything we know about season 2 of Bridgerton so far, including when we might get new episodes.

There's no release date, but filming for season 2 is underway.

As early as April 2021, Bailey and Ashley were spotted in character as Anthony and Kate for the first time in photos snapped of the set. We also saw Lady Danbury (Adjoa Andoh) and Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell).

However, in July a crew member tested positive for COVID-19, causing filming to shut down for 24 hours. On July 17, just days later, a second unidentified individual received a positive coronavirus test. This time production was paused "for an indefinite period of time," according to Deadline, with producers and Netflix attempting to figure out when it would be best for the cast and crew to return to work again.

But in an uplifting turn of events, Variety reported in August that filming had officially resumed after nearly a month's hiatus. “We are back underway. We had to delay because of COVID, but we’re back in it,” Van Dusen said.

The showrunner even told the publication that he's currently editing the first two episodes of season 2, which makes a winter 2021 streaming date seem likely.

There's a brand new clip of season 2, but no trailer.

Okay, we don't have a trailer yet. But dare we say there's something better? It's a full one minute and 16 second clip of a scene from Bridgerton season 2, and it appears to be one of the first times Kate and Anthony meet—and it's intense, y'all. A searing line from Ms. Sharma? "I find your opinion of yourself entirely too high," Kate says to Anthony. "Your character is as deficient as your horsemanship."

Something tells us we'll like her.

There are photos, too!

Yes, we weren't just blessed with a full scene but three new pics. The first depicts Kate and Anthony's dramatic meeting. Another photo appears to show Lady Danbury presenting Kate and her sister Edwina (Charithra Chandran) for the London season alongside their mother, Mary (Shelley Conn). And the last? Gathered on the sidelines of what we're sure is a truly magnificent party are Lady Violet, Eloise, Anthony, and Benedict. Because Lady Whistledown probably spilled some piping hot tea that just must be discussed.

Season 2 will focus on Anthony's love life.

According to Van Dusen, Anthony—rake supreme—will be tamed by love in season 2, echoing the corresponding novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me. For observant audience members, there was a clue about this in Bridgerton's season 1 finale.

Right after Daphne gives birth to her and Simon's son, the camera pans over to a bee on the windowsill. Fans of the novels know that bees are particularly significant in the second book of Quinn's series, which focuses on Anthony. We'll save you the details because the novel is a must-read, but in the end, a bee is the very thing that cements his fate with his soul mate and future wife, Kate Sheffield.

So who exactly is Anthony's new love interest, Kate Sharma?

After observant fans leaked the news, Netflix confirmed on February 15 that actress Simone Ashley would play Kate Sharma—not Sheffield—a slight name change from the book character she's based on. Some may recognize the 25-year-old from another popular Netflix show, Sex Education, where she plays a character named Olivia.

Think of Kate as the Simon of season 2. Not only is she the reason why a bee is the unofficial mascot of the series, but her romance with Anthony is ridiculously fun and sexy. There's a reason she's beloved among Quinn's readers.

Quinn herself describes the witty, headstrong Kate as the "most meddlesome woman to ever grace a London ballroom" and a "spirited schemer." She has a rotund and precocious Corgi, Newton, who provides instances of comic relief. And unlike other women, Kate is (at first) resistant to Anthony's charms.

The couple meets in the messiest of ways. Anthony attempts to court Kate's beautiful and perfectly pleasant half-sister, Edwina. (It's all very Taming of the Shrew.) Kate is as loyal to her family as Anthony is to his, making their undeniable connection even more complicated.

To put it mildly, Bridgerton fans were incredibly pleased by Ashley's casting.

More new characters were announced on April 5, including Edwina, Lady Mary Sharma, Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch), and Jack (Rupert Young). Mary is Kate's loving stepmother, while Theo and Jack are brand new to the Bridgerton universe. Neither were mentioned in the book series.

We'll hopefully see even more of our season 1 favorites, like Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Queen Charlotte. The actress is hopeful about an expanded storyline in season 2.

"I love the scenes with her husband King George, and I think it would be really interesting for a high status couple to investigate mental health," she says. "And I'd love her to get involved with Eloise in finding out who Whistledown is. I love those two becoming FBI detectives."

Unfortunately, Regé-Jean Page will not be back.

While most of the season 1 cast will return, Page will not. "Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer—more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear," wrote Lady Whistledown.

Page commented on the official announcement: "It’s been an absolute pleasure and a privilege! Joining this family — the connection on and off screen, with our cast, our crew, all the incredible fans, has been like nothing I could have ever imagined — the love is real and will just keep growing."

Page told Variety that this move was expected. “One of the things that is different about this [romance] genre is that the audience knows the arc completes,” he said. “They come in knowing that, so you can tie people in emotional knots because they have that reassurance that we’re going to come out and we’re going to have the marriage and the baby.”

He added, "I have nothing but excitement for Bridgerton continuing to steam train off and conquer the globe. But there is also value in completing these arcs and sticking the landing.”

Page previously told Oprah Daily, "I think there are a lot of good stories to be told in this world. There’s a plethora of characters and each of those characters has cousins, uncles, and dogs, and I think people enjoy exploring all of those depths and nooks and crannies." Alas, it seems we will no longer be exploring...his nooks and crannies.

Bridgerton seasons 3 and 4 will likely follow different siblings.

There are eight books in Quinn's series, with each following a romance of an individual Bridgerton sibling as the rest fall to the background after marrying. Van Dusen tells us it's his hope to follow that same pattern, explaining that storylines like the troubled Marina Thompson's (Ruby Barker) are purposefully left open-ended to explore later on and "expand on the books."

"I'd love to be able to tell Eloise's story and Collin's story," Van Dusen says. "[But] I want to explore the stories for all the characters, not just the Bridgertons. From the Featheringtons, who are amazing and so fun to write, to Lady Danbury's stories, and Queen Charlotte's."

Quinn has thoughts on the refreshing format as well. "Usually you either have one true ensemble cast, or you have a cast where the main characters stay the main characters all the way. Whereas this is a little bit different, which I think will be fun for people. And I think because of that it really mimics the experience of reading a romance novel," she says.

So, whose stories aren't finished yet on Bridgerton?

We'll give you a quick rundown on what's still up in the air for some of our favorite Bridgerton characters:

Anthony Bridgerton

He needs to find love after getting his heart broken by Siena, and the season 2 announcement guarantees that it's just around the corner.

Lady Whistledown

We won't spoil her identity now (but we'll do it here). We'd love to know how on earth they became the most esteemed anonymous gossip among "the Ton." What is the motivation and how do they afford those newspaper circulation costs?

Marina Thompson

Poor Marina had arguably the worst London season of them all: hiding a pregnancy, attempting to get rid of said pregnancy, tricking a Bridgerton into falling for her, learning her lover died in battle, and agreeing to marry his younger brother to avoid ruin. We just hope she gets a break. (But via the book, her future is bleak).

Penelope Featherington

Penelope (Derry Girls' Nicola Coughlan) clearly has a thing for Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton), but if the show follows her book storyline then, spoiler alert she'll end up with him soon enough.

Queen Charlotte

We just want more of the fabulous queen—who was inspired by a real royal—and her amazing wigs.

Eloise Bridgerton

Eloise (Claudia Jessie) is independent, stubborn, and completely uninterested in finding a husband—but will she stay that way? If a potential future season follows her book, To Sir Philip, With Love, a romance is definitely in her future—but not before she spends a few years as a spinster. And after Queen Charlotte, she's the most motivated to uncover the identity of Lady Whistledown. We can't wait to see the look on her face when she figures it out.

You can read each Bridgerton book in the meantime.

As we await more news about what's to come for Bridgerton season 2, Quinn has written eight books worth of content to hold you over. And they let us in on our favorite characters' happy endings.

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