The runaway success of season two of Bridgerton proved that the Emmy-winning Netflix series is not slowing down any time soon. The show's second installment broke the viewership record set by season one, meaning it was unsurprising when talk quickly turned to season three (and four!) after the credits rolled on the last episode. The highly-anticipated, “ultra-sexy” third installment of the Netflix and Shondaland collaboration now has a release date.

Below, you’ll find everything you need to know about the upcoming season, including who will be making a return, who won’t come back (hint: a major character is out), and when you can expect more gossip from the ton, as reported by the ever-so-snarky Lady Whistledown.

There are eight Bridgerton siblings, and ostensibly, that could mean there might be eight seasons—that is, if the series is to follow the structure of the books on which it is based, which dedicates one book to the romantic foibles of each Bridgerton child. We’ve already had our Daphne and Anthony seasons, and now, it’s the third eldest brother’s turn.

Season three will follow Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and his relationship with Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). It has never been a secret that the gossip writer had a crush on her best friend, and now that love story will finally be explored. At the same time, Penelope will be dealing with the fallout of her relationship with her former best friend, Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), after their fight in season two when Eloise learned of Penelope’s double life as Lady Whistledown. As Coughlan told Tudum last May, “Penelope is going to become a woman in season three.”

The first look at the season shows Penelope and Colin’s love story unfold (they’ve already been nicknamed “Polin” by fans). After season two, a heartbroken Penelope decided to move on and look for a husband after overhearing Colin tell a group of friends he would never court her. Her lack of confidence makes her search challenging, however. Colin tries to help her, but in classic rom-com style, he realizes his feelings for Penelope may be more than friendship.

Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington

The first full trailer for the season debuted on April 11 and shows Penelope’s journey to finding a husband. Early in the clip, she declares that she’s ready to leave home and join the courtship rituals of her peers. Awkward and unsure of herself, her friend Colin steps in to help her practice flirting and find her confidence. After spending so much time together, they fall in love (though it’s clear Penelope always held a torch for Colin). Watch below:

Another clip from March 20 shows Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate (Simone Ashley) happily married. Hannah Dodd plays the older version of one of the younger Bridgerton girls, Francesca—and approaches her brother, Anthony, at a ball. Overwhelmed by her many suitors, she tells him she needs a break. After comforting his sister, Anthony pulls Kate away from his mother (Ruth Gemmell) to dance with his “beautiful wife.” A sad-looking Penelope looks on at the pairs of happy couples:

For those who may want to wag their fingers about the fact that this will take the series out of order from Julia Quinn’s books, Shonda Rhimes had previously confirmed that the seasons will dive into the romantic entanglements of each sibling, but they will not be shared in the same order as Quinn’s Bridgerton romance novel series. The situation between Colin and Penelope unfolds in the fourth installment, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. The third book, An Offer from a Gentleman, focuses on Benedict Bridgerton. But honestly, we are still holding out for season four to give Eloise Bridgerton the breakout moment she so deserves.

In an interview with Insider, Quinn explained why she thought the showrunners decided to change up the order:

“I think they had just felt they had laid down so much groundwork because we already know Penelope,” Quinn said. “We haven’t met Benedict’s love interest. I suppose people are gonna say, ‘They could have introduced her.’ But the fact of the matter is, we haven’t. And what I try to tell people is, look, once a character has their season, we don’t see them as much, right? So, if you love Benedict, you want him to wait as long as possible.”

Now that the number one bachelor, Anthony Bridgerton, is off the market, we need to bring in some new suitors to spice things up. Enter Harry Dankworth, Lord Debling, and Marcus Anderson, played by James Phoon, Sam Phillips, and Daniel Francis, respectively. According to Netflix, what Dankworth “lacks in wit and intelligence, he more than makes up for with serious good looks," while Debling is a "genial lord with unusual interests.” Anderson, meanwhile, is “a charismatic presence who lights up any room he enters, attracting the notice of certain matriarchs in the town—and the ire of others.”

In addition, Black Sails star Hannah New will join the cast as Lady Tilley Arnold, “a firebrand widow” who “enjoys the privileges and power that come with being at the helm of her former husband’s estate, living life on her own terms with financial independence and sexual freedom,” according to Deadline. Will Arnold interfere with the possible romance between Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington, the main focus of the third season? Perhaps. Or, Arnold could find herself interested in one of the other new suitors above.

Bridgerton’s “ultra-sexy, lavish” season three will return in 2024. The season will be split into two 4-episode parts, with part one premiering on May 16 and part two following on June 13.

This article was originally published on April 6, 2022