Dearest readers, we are so back. Bridgerton is finally back on our screens for Season 3, with the latest instalments premiering in two parts on May 16 and June 13.

And with all of these enchanting trailers and intriguing interviews that can be believed, we’re in for one of the show’s most dramatic (and romantic) seasons yet.

With that in mind, we’d like to welcome you to your ultimate guide to Bridgerton! Which Bridgerton sibling will be taking centre stage? Will our favourite characters all be returning? Much like Lady Whistledown, we’ve got all the gossip and piping hot English Breakfast Tea. Here’s what you need to know.

As we all know by now, the Bridgerton television series is based on novels by Julia Quinn – and the third book is focused on Benedict Bridgerton (who is played by Luke Thompson).

Fans fell even more in love with Benedict in the second season, especially when he was drinking his special hallucinogenic tea. But Benedict fans will need to wait a little longer before seeing his love story play out on screen.

Bridgerton creator Shonda Rhimes and showrunner Jess Brownwell have confirmed Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) will be the main love story this season.

“There are eight Bridgerton siblings, so we’re planning on following each one of the siblings’ romantic stories,” Shonda told Entertainment Tonight of the next season. “We’re not necessarily going in order but we are going to be seeing each of the siblings and their stories.”

“I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time,” Jess added in an interview with Variety. “Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them a little bit. We know who they are as people.”

“I feel like, especially in the last season, there are these moments of tension between them where it’s like, Colin walks up to the line of almost realizing that Penelope has feelings for him but doesn’t quite get there. Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”

It’s likely Benedict’s romance will predominantly happen in the fourth season, though it may be intertwined with other stories like that of Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie) and Sir Phillip Crane (Chris Fulton).

Since POLIN will be the reigning love story of the third season, it just makes sense that we would divulge some juicy details about how their relationship unfolds on the page. 

Colin and Penelope’s book is titled  Romancing Mister Bridgerton, and this is a brief synopsis, so if you don’t want any more book spoilers, skip to the next part. 

In the book, time has flown by and Penelope is firmly considered a “spinster” in society at the age of 28. Big yikes! The Regency Era was not about the cool and causal 20s, let us tell you. 

In her spinster era, Penelope has set aside all notions of marriage and is enjoying her life as the secret mastermind behind Lady Whistledown. She’s found her joy with a fulfilling, if scandalous, career.

Then a 33-year-old Colin returns from yet another whirlwind trip to Greece and begins to look at Penelope “differently” now that they’re both grown-ups. 

Penelope stumbles across Colin’s journals and reads them (the scandal!) but when she praises his words, Colin feels touched. 

One day, Penelope asks Colin to kiss her (another scandal!) because she doesn’t want to die having never been kissed. He does, and low and behold he’s suddenly the one with a crush. 

After sharing a risqué moment at a ball, Colin attempts to find Penelope and apologise for his very un-gentlemanly ways when he discovers her heading to the “bad part of town.” You know, the part of town where she regularly travels to print her paper as Lady Whistledown.

When Colin realises Penelope is the mastermind behind Whistledown, he picks a huge fight and the pair bicker – but the tension turns to something more: romance on the carriage ride home. Honestly, the scandal is so fun in this book. Despite how mad he is about the Whistledown situation, Colin proposes to Penelope then and there. 

Despite some hiccups, they tie the knot and are blissfully happy (by the end of the book). 

So, how will the series be different to the book? Keep reading to find out. 

Shonda has confirmed there will be some changes because at this stage, Penelope isn’t actually a “spinster” and is still freshly out on the marriage mart on the show. But one key feature remains: Colin will finally be the one pining for Penelope after years of her being obsessed with him. 

“Colin doesn’t see what is right in front of his eyes,” Luke tells TVLine of his character. “He’s got this amazing connection with this young woman, but his judgment is so clouded about feeling like he has to be a man and find his purpose, that he’s put her in the friend zone.

“He’s ticked off his ambition, which was traveling, and now he’s trying to figure out what’s next. Everyone else has things going on, and he’s distracted by ambition. It’s really hard to defend Colin because there are moments where even I’m like ‘Bro, you’re just being a d–k right now.’”

According to the synopsis shared by Netflix, Colin will be offering Penelope “lessons in courtship” for the marriage mart, when his feelings of friendship turn to something more.

“Penelope has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin after hearing his disparaging words about her last season,” the synopsis reads.

“She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly.

“Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder.

“Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly.

“Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise, who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.”

Fans fell in love with Kate (Simone Ashley) and Anthony (Jonathan Bailey) in the second season of Bridgerton. And many fans were left wanting more, since KATHONY shippers didn’t get to see many happy, romantic scenes between the characters.

Their season was changed substantially from the book, including the fact that Edwina (Charithra Chandra) and Anthony even made it to their wedding day at all. Or the fact that Edwina even cared (in the book, The Viscount Who Loved Me, she was nothing but happy for Kate). 

But there’s plenty of time for Anthony, Kate and Edwina’s happier moments to play out on screen, with Simone confirming their return in season three – saying they’re “just getting started.”

“We’re going to be back! Kate and Anthony are just getting started,” the actress told Deadline, much to our delight.

“We have the amazing Jess Brownell who is taking the lead as showrunner in Season 3,” she continued. “In Season 2, there was a lot of push and pull between Kate and Anthony, there were complications with the family, and then they find each other towards the end. I think everything is just starting.” 

“She’s in charge of the household now and she’s got big boots to put on. I think she can do it,” she shared. “I want to keep that softness and vulnerability to Kate, for sure, and she can share that with Anthony. I’m just excited for her to have a home and to have a family.”

A recent interview with Phoebe Dynevor has many fans concerned about the fate of Daphne Bridgerton in the upcoming season.

In a chat with Screen Rant, she was asked if her character will have any “exciting dynamics” in the new season.

“Sadly not in season three. Potentially in the future. But season three, I’m just excited to watch as a viewer,” she told the publication.

With that question answered, we can focus on all the other need-to-know details about the third season.

Season 3 was initially predicted to be released in 2023, however, there were a series of delays.

“There are some elements that Shonda is just not happy with so wants to change them. Some of it got very dark,” an alleged source told MailOnline. 

“We have been told that it needs the fun back so there are changes, which of course means delays. One thing is for sure though, the production team want to get it right for Bridgerton fans so they enjoy it as much as they have in the past.”

Filming for season three wrapped before the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes took over Hollywood and now, Netflix announced that the long-anticipated third season of Bridgerton will premiere in 2024. 

The upcoming season will be split into two four-episode parts. Part one of season three will premiere May 16, 2024, while part two will premiere June 13, 2024. 

Part two of Bridgerton season three will premiere in Australia on June 13, 2024 at the following times:

We all can’t wait to see the story of Penelope and Colin unfold this season and while Netflix has kept the exact storyline under wraps, they have finally shared the titles of the eight episodes of Bridgerton Season 3 to give us a glimpse at what’s to come. 

The episode titles are:

Part One:

Episode 1: Out of the Shadows

Episode 2: How Bright the Moon

Episode 3: Forces of Nature

Episode 4: Old Friends

Part Two:

Episode 5: Tick Tock

Episode 6: Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Episode 7: Joining of Hands

Episode 8: Into the Light

He might not be front and centre in the third season, but fans are still obsessed with Benedict. 

If you’re keen for a little insight to the love life of this artsy man with a penchant for hallucinogenic tea, his novel is called An Offer From a Gentleman and follows his relationship with Sophie Beckett.

Read more about Benedict’s season here.

Tina Burke is the Digital Managing Editor of WHO Magazine and TV WEEK. With a Bachelor of Arts Media and 10 years of experience, Tina has worked across magazines, websites, social channels and more. If she's not busy writing an essay about Bridgerton or scrolling through Tiktok, she's probably giving you a Ted-Talk about Taylor Swift.