Bridgerton is the regency love story that took Netflix by storm in 2021.
The passionate love story between Daphne Bridgerton, played by Phoebe Dynevor, and The Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, became one of the most viewed shows ever on the streaming site.
The Regency-era drama returns on March 25, and all eight episodes will arrive on the streaming service in its early hours.
Bridgerton is based on the best-selling romance series by author Julia Quinn, as each novel follows one of the Bridgerton family finding love.
Here's a rundown of everything we known about season two, from exciting new Scottish castings to season three..
Who is cast in Bridgerton season two?
Jonathan Bailey takes the lead as this season's protagonist Anthony Bridgerton, alongside newcomer Charithra Chandran playing his potential bride Kate Sharma.
Charithra 25, was born in Perth before moving back to India until she was four-years-old.
When they returned to the UK, the Alex Rider actress went to boarding school from the age of six to 11 before settling down in Oxford.
Charithra then went on to study at The University of Oxford, where she completed her Bachelor of Arts degree in Philosophy, Politics and Economics at New College.
During her time at university, she performed in several productions and joined the National Youth Theatre.
Following a gap year, Charithra began working for the New Policy Institute in a part-time role, while doing drama as a hobby before deciding to pursue it as a career.
Simone Ashley playing his potential bride, Kate Sharma.
Shelley Conn will play the girls' mother, Lady Mary Sharma, who was previously embroiled in a scandal; while Calam Lynch will play rebellious printer's assistant Theo Sharpe.
Deadline confirmed in April 2021 that Merlin star Rupert Young will also be joining the series in season two to play Jack.
We also expect the Bridgerton cast for season two to include Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown, as well as the return of Golda Rosheuvel who plays Queen Charlotte, Derry Girls Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington, and the rest of the core cast including Claudia Jessie, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, and Polly Walker.
Will Daphne and Simon return?
Phoebe and Regé-Jean Page will no longer be playing the show's main characters, now that their story has been told.
Nevertheless, Dynevor will return to the role of Daphne as a supporting player in her older brother's love story, although Page announced his departure from the show in April 2021.
Of Simon, she told The Wrap : “I think he’ll definitely be referred to a lot. I think we’ll see the baby.
"And we’ll just focus more on her relationship with the Bridgerton family...She’s a grown woman now so she can call more shots and be more in control."
Rhimes told Variety : "Rightfully, [Bassett] said, ‘I signed up to do this one lovely story, this closed-ended storyline'...And I don’t blame him for that. I think that he was really smart to leave the perfection as the perfection.”
What will Bridgerton season two be about?
The second season of Bridgerton sees Netflix’s hit period drama returning for another round of romance.
Having dealt with Daphne's, played by Phoebe Dynevor, torrid love affair with the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset, played by Regé-Jean Page, this new series of the Netflix period drama will adapt the second Bridgerton novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me.
In the second season, Kate, who is her sister's gatekeeper against potential suitors, tries to prevent Edwina's courtship with Anthony.
She becomes embroiled in a war of words with the bachelor, which inadvertently brings them closer together.
Jonathan Bailey teased Anthony's Bridgerton season 2 character journey in a recent interview, revealing that the new instalment will explore why Anthony displays such "toxic" traits.
"The idea that [Bridgerton] is coming out again is a bit of a rug pull," Bailey told GQ.
"It's quite scary. What it means to be a rake, and how his anxiety and self-hatred plays into that. [In typical period dramas] you never really get behind the men, or know why they're avoidant and toxic."
Derry Girls star Coughlan teased there’s more trouble set to come from the scandalous writer in the second season of Bridgerton.
Speaking recently on Claudia Winkleman’s BBC Radio 2 show, she said: "[After] that reveal at the end of series one, you very much get to see behind the curtain in series two."
She continued: "We see how she gets away with the things that she gets away with. And for me, it was so much fun because in series one she’s a shy, retiring wallflower, and then series two you go, 'oh, she’s got all this new stuff going on,' and it was extremely fun to film."
However, it won’t all be fun and games for the gossip columnist in season 2, as Coughlan previously warned that there would be "repercussions" coming for Penelope.
"I think you know, she's certainly been lying to literally everyone in her life and I think you'll see the repercussions of that and I think you'll see she's not – I always say it's like a Britney Spears year, she's 'not a girl, not yet a woman'.
"She definitely matures from series one. And I think she thinks she's much more a woman of the world than she actually is," she exclusively told RadioTimes.com back in October 2021.
When is it released?
Bridgerton season three is released on Netflix on March 25 2022.
What else do we know?
Speaking to TV Line, Van Dusen teased a couple more details about the second season: "Lady Whistledown always manages to get the good gossip and viewers get to see exactly…how the sausage gets made," he said.
He added of Penelope: "She’s caught between two worlds...It’s fascinating to see her navigate that."
Van Dusen noted that Eloise will be forced to become romantically available: “She’s never been one who enjoys being told what to do."
There is a lot less sex featuring in the new season, speaking to RadioTimes.com and other press, showrunner Chris van Dusen defended the direction that season 2 has taken.
"It was never about quantity for us," he explained.
"Our approach to intimacy on the show really is the same as season 1. And we use these intimate scenes to tell a story and to push the story forward. We've never done a sex scene for the sake of doing a sex scene, and I don't think we ever will.
"It all serves a larger purpose and it's a different story this season. It's different characters. We're with Anthony and Kate most of the season and that's very different from Daphne and Simon.
"And that's really part of the draw to me of a project like this, the ability to tell these close-ended love stories of different characters season after season."
Is it renewed for a third season?
Netflix has already confirmed that Bridgerton season three is officially in the works.
What will the third season be about?
The Netflix series , which is based on Julia Quinn's popular book series, follows the same narrative within the novels, with each season telling the love story of each of the eight Bridgerton siblings.
Bridgerton season 3, if it stays the same as the books, will focus on Benedict Bridgerton.
Good news for fans, peaking to PopBuzz on the red carpet at the world premiere for Bridgerton season 2, executive producer Shonda Rhimes teased that fans may not have to wait as long to see Bridgerton return to their screens.
"We're already working on season 3," Rhimes teased, "so we can have a shorter time between seasons."
Van Dusen also added: "I would love to be able to focus and really tell stories and love stories for all the Bridgerton siblings. For each character, for sure,"
"I think we've done some work in season 1 to set up other characters [for more]. ... I think it's a deep well of story for us to explore."
Bridgerton season two is available to watch on Netflix from today.
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