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Who Will Be the Focus of ‘Bridgerton’ Season 3? Shonda Rhimes Says They May Not ‘Go In Order’
Whose story is next? Bridgerton follows a different one of the Bridgerton siblings each season — Daphne in the first, Anthony in the second — but the third season’s star is still a mystery!
“There are eight Bridgerton siblings, so we’re planning on following each one of the siblings’ romantic stories,” the show’s creator Shonda Rhimes told Entertainment Tonight ahead of the show’s second season premiere in March 2022. “We’re not necessarily going in order, but we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their stories.”
Is that a hint to who’s next? In the book series, written by Julia Quinn, the third novel follows Benedict Bridgerton and Sophie’s love story. However, the Grey’s Anatomy showrunner and her executive producing partner Chris Van Dusen are keeping things under wraps — for now. Shonda, for one, joked, “I can’t tell you! That is a spoiler, I can’t.”
Chris also told ET, “I can’t mention or talk about anything after this season, [but] it was always my goal to focus on a different Bridgerton sibling every season and it’s no secret there are eight Bridgerton siblings. In success, we will be on as long as Netflix will have us but I would love to focus on every single one of those eight Bridgerton siblings and tell romance stories for all of them.”
Despite the big secret, Shonda did tell the publication that the Bridgerton team “got a little bit creative so we’re already hard at work writing season 3.” Fans are already waiting patiently — or not so much — for what’s next in the Bridgerton universe, but Shonda told them, “That is already in progress and you’ll see. Give it time.”
Fans of the books have already taken to social media with the hopes that Benedict and Sophie will, indeed, be the focal point for the next batch of episodes. From the sound of it, Chris is open to this too.
“I love Benedict’s story. I love his story and all these siblings, all these characters for different reasons. They all offer something new. I think it was really the appeal to me in a project like this, the fact that we could tell these close-ended love stories and shift focus season after season,” he told ET. “This season, obviously we are with Anthony Bridgerton. It will go on and on and be equally as pleasurable as the one before.”
One more thing fans hope for in the forthcoming third season is the return of Regé-Jean Page as Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings. While he opted out of reprising his role for season 2, the British actor has not completely ruled out the idea of a cameo in the future.
“Isn’t there something wonderful about being surprised by what you weren’t suspecting?” he told in September 2021.
