Bridgerton fans of both the Julia Quinn novels and Netflix smash hit series will see the two begin to diverge next season, as the third season is set to feature a different romance to the books.
Bridgerton’s slow-burn second season has proved a smash hit for Netflix, setting records for the streamer less than a week after it premiered.
Based on Julia Quinn's period novel The Viscount Who Loved Me, the second season of the Shondaland romance focused on the love life of Lord Anthony Bridgerton.
Based on Quinn's eight-novel series, the third book An Offer From a Gentleman focuses on second Bridgerton son Benedict’s romance, but the Netflix third season will stray from the original storylines seen in the novels.
Bridgerton star Nicola Coughlan opened up about what's to come on the Netflix show during Netflix’s FYSEE Space’s opening night ATAS panel on Sunday evening.
The Derry Girls actress, who plays Lady Whistledown author Penelope Featherington in Bridgerton, said it is her own love affair that will be the focus on the coming instalment.
The 35-year-old’s character Penelope is secretly besotted with longtime family friend Colin Bridgerton, played by Luke Newton.
The actress let slip that season three will follow their characters as the friendship potentially blossoms into something more intimate.
She said: “Like Lady Whistledown, I have been keeping a secret for quite some time and I can confirm to you all that season 3 is Colin and Penelope’s love story.”
She added: “I have kept that secret since two weeks into season 2. This is the first time I am saying it here.”
This comes after Netflix announced a new casting for period hit Bridgerton after star Ruby Stokes quit the series for a rival show.
The third season will feature Hannah Dodd in the role of the sixth Bridgerton sibling Francesca Bridgerton, taking over from Ruby, who was largely absent from the second season of Bridgerton.
The 26-year-old will join the cast of the Netflix show when it returns to the platform after Ruby has quit to take on the lead of Lockwood & Co, a detective thriller series that is also coming to Netflix.
After appearing twice in season one, she starred in the first three episodes of the second season, before disappearing completely.
The Regency era romance logged 193 million hours of viewing time worldwide, the most any English-language Netflix series has amassed in its first three days.
The second season saw the viscount become tangled in a love triangle with sisters Kate Sharma and Edwina Sharma, shifting the show’s focus away from Anthony’s younger sister Daphne Bridgerton and her courtship with the Duke of Hastings, played by Regé-Jean Page, who has since left the series.
Bridgerton is available to stream on Netflix.
