Fans of Lady Whistledown will be excited to know that she is getting a love story sooner than expected.
THR reports that the upcoming third season of Shonda Rhimes’ Bridgerton will see the Netflix hit jumping ahead in the timeline of the Julia Quinn books on which the series is based to focus its love story around Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton).
On the show’s return for season 3, viewers will see Penelope and Colin as their friendship potentially blooms into something more as she balances her double life.
Nicola Coughlan revealed this during a Netflix For Your Consideration panel event on Sunday night. Bridgerton returns to production this summer.
“Like Lady Whistledown, I have been keeping a secret for quite some time and I can confirm to you all that season three is Colin and Penelope’s love story,” she said. “I have kept that secret since two weeks into season two. This is the first time I am saying it here.”
Penelope, as was revealed at the end of season one, doubles as Lady Whistledown, an identity she keeps secret from the ton and all of its characters, including Colin.
Each season of Bridgerton focuses on a Bridgerton sibling love story and has, so far, followed the order of the books; first with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Baset (Regé-Jean Page) in season one, followed by Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) in season two. Penelope and Colin’s love story is told in the fourth book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton, which will mark the first time the series will go out of order. The third book in the series focuses on Benedict Bridgerton’s (Luke Thompson) love life.
Speaking to Netflix about the change, Coughlan says she thinks book readers will be satisfied — and viewers, “obsessed” — with the story, and that she and Newton have had several talks about the new plan with new showrunner Jess Brownell, who is taking over from creator Chris Van Dusen for the already renewed third and fourth seasons.
