Bridgerton’s third season is still three months away, but Netflix hosted a Valentine’s Day panel event for it this week.
Season three’s central couple of Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan were there, as were fellow Bridgerton siblings Luke Thompson and Claudia Jessie, and Adjoa Andoh, Golda Rosheuvel, and Martins Imhangbe, who plays boxer turned businessman Will Mondrich. By Imhangbe’s inclusion at the event, I assume the Mondrich family is continuing their upward trajectory in the world in another of Bridgerton’s off-book plotlines.
Netflix also dropped a clip from the season, revealing Colin and Penelope’s reunion after Pen last heard Colin disparaging her at the end of season two.
I am skeptical of season three, but I am here for Penelope giving Colin what’s for. That was a rotten thing to say about Penelope behind her back or to her face! Romancing Mr. Bridgerton is not my favorite book in the series, but I love Nicola Coughlan so much, I am hoping for the best because she deserves a spotlight season to shine in. I’m also super curious to see how people react to a woman who is not a size zero starring in sex scenes—Coughlan and Newton are teasing a “steamy” second episode of the season. On the one hand, it’s great for body positivity, on the other hand, I know how awful people are, generally. Let’s hope everyone is normal about it.
One last thing to note is Bridgerton’s Emmy eligibility. Because the third season is split into two, it isn’t eligible for the 2024 Emmys. It would have to air six episodes before May 31, but it’s only airing four. That means it can’t be considered until 2025, a year after the season airs. Given how much stuff is on TV, recency bias at the Emmys is real, so Netflix is seriously kneecapping Bridgerton’s chances. The previous two seasons garnered fifteen nominations between them, including ones for Outstanding Drama Series and Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series (for Regé-Jean Page). The Netflix awards team is not made up of idiots, so perhaps they’re just sensing the loss of momentum after a more divisive second season, but I find it so interesting Netflix scheduled the episodes in a way that guarantees their Emmy impact will be minimal by 2025.
