“Bridgerton“‘s Lady Whistledown is finally ready to step out of the shadows in season three. In a video from Netflix’s fan event Tudum, Nicola Coughlan revealed the title of the third season’s premiere episode, “Out of the Shadows,” and even read Penelope Featherington/Lady Whistledown’s introduction, which will feature Pen and Colin taking center stage.
In her first column of the season, Coughlan’s Whistledown hints that not all ladies shine like diamonds, but they can still command a room. “Dearest gentle reader, we’ve been apart for far too long,” she reads. “At last, London’s smart set has made its return, and so too has this author. As the season begins, the question on everyone’s minds is, of course, which newly minted debutante will shine the brightest. The crop this year appears to be dazzling indeed. Unfortunately, not every young lady can attract the light.”
Filming for “Bridgerton” season three officially began this past summer, with Netflix releasing a teaser video on July 20 featuring key cast members, including Coughlan, Jonathan Bailey, Adjoa Andoh, and Luke Newton. Everyone featured in the video holds up two fingers and then adds a third to signify they have transitioned from season two to three. Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton, then opens the door of a carriage to reveal Coughlan as she announces the season three production news we’d all been waiting for as Newton declares: “Let’s go.”
“I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time. Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since season one, we’ve already invested in them a little bit.”
“Bridgerton” fans already know Colin and Penelope will be the focus of season three. On July 20, Netflix also announced that three new cast members will join them next season: Daniel Francis (“Stay Close”) as Marcus Anderson, Sam Phillips (“The Crown”) as Lord Debling, and James Phoon as Harry Dankworth — the streamer hinted that the trio might be rivals for Penelope’s affections.
In a June interview with Variety, Coughlan teased that Colin and Penelope’s romance may be steamier than fans might be anticipating. While Penelope has been in love with Colin since the series began, the third Bridgerton son has been oblivious to her feelings. However, that’s all set to change in season three, and after the slow-burn romance of Kate and Anthony, Pen and Colin could return the hit Netflix series to its sexy season one roots.
When asked if Penelope and Colin would be steamy like Daphne and Simon or slow-burn like Kate and Anthony, Coughlan suggested the show’s latest duo will give fans season one vibes. “I think, because we’ve had two seasons of build up, it’s probably going to be the former,” she told Variety. “I haven’t read the scripts. I’ve just been given an overview.”
Back in early 2021, just weeks after announcing the show’s season two renewal, Netflix picked up “Bridgerton” for third and fourth seasons. Thanks to what we already know from Netflix (and from Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton book series), we have a few ideas about what we can expect to see.
On May 16, Netflix confirmed that season three will tell Colin and Penelope’s story. Had the show followed the order of the books, season three would’ve followed the second-oldest brother, Benedict, but Netflix decided to adapt the plot of the fourth book, “Romancing Mister Bridgerton,” instead.
“I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time,” “Bridgerton” showrunner Jess Brownell explained to Variety at the time. “Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people. I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them where it’s like, Colin walks up to the line of almost realizing that Penelope has feelings for him but doesn’t quite get there. Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”
Keep reading for everything we know about the highly anticipated third season of “Bridgerton” so far.