Lady Whistledown is back. Following the success of Queen Charlotte, Netflix is wasting no time giving the fans what they want … more Bridgerton.

What Is ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 About?

Just as season 1 and season 2 followed the love stories of Bridgerton children, season 3 is set to follow suit as Colin Bridgerton and longtime friend Penelope Featherington court. 

“Dearest Reader, It is only fair that in this author’s third year chronicling the marriage mart, Mayfair’s social season should find its focus on a third son … as well as a third daughter,” Shonda Rhimes and production company Shondaland announced via Instagram in May 2022. “This author can confirm that the upcoming season shall follow none other than the budding relationship between Mr. Colin Bridgerton and Ms. Penelope Featherington.”

The announcement continued, “With Penelope’s days as a wallflower wearing thing, will she finally take bloom? Time will tell, and as always, so will this author.”

New showrunner Jess Brownwell, who is replacing Chris Van Dusen this season, further revealed why Colin and Penelope are getting their season to shine.

“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 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people,” she told Variety. “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.”

Which Stars Are Returning for ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3?

Aside from Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan, who play Colin and Penelope respectively, season 2 stars Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma) and Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton) are set to reprise their roles in the upcoming season.

Of course, series staples Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Polly Walker (Lady Featherington) and Ruth Gemmell (Lady Bridgerton) will continue to play their iconic roles. However, the second youngest Bridgerton daughter, Francesca – originally played by actress Ruby Stokes – has been recast for the third season and will be played by actress Hannah Dodd

Julie Andrews, the voice of Lady Whistledown, is also set to reprise her role despite Whistledown’s identity being revealed in the second season. 

Season 1 breakout stars Phoebe Dynevor (Daphne Bridgerton) and Regé-Jean Page (Simon, the Duke of Hastings) will not appear in the upcoming season

When Does ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3 Premiere?

The streaming service announced that season 3, which will have eight episodes, will drop in two parts. Part 1 will premiere on May 16, 2024, while Part 2 will drop on June 13, 2024.