Will there be a second season of Bridgerton?

By Eleanor Bley Griffiths

Saturday, 26th December 2020 at 8:00 am

Here’s a prediction: as soon as you finish Bridgerton season one, you’ll be desperate for season two.

Set in Regency London, the Netflix drama has been brought to life by Shonda Rhimes’s production company Shondaland and showrunner Chris Van Dusen; and it is romantic and sumptuous and a great deal of fun.

Here is what we know about season two so far:

Sadly, there’s no news to share just yet. Before the first season went live on 25th December, a Netflix spokesperson told RadioTimes.com that a second season had not yet been confirmed.

However, we’d be very surprised if Bridgerton doesn’t get a second season. The show has received rave reviews from critics, including our five-star Bridgerton review, and looks set to be a hit for Netflix.

In addition, the Bridgerton season one finale leaves plenty of unanswered questions. It also hints at more to come – with the voiceover from “Lady Whistledown” (Julie Andrews) even telling viewers at the end of the episode: “Of course, there are other endings that will offer new beginnings.”

And Penelope Featherington actress Nicola Coughlan has said she wants to return for Bridgerton season two, saying: “I’d love to go on that journey with her, to see how she’s changed. I’d really love to come back because I feel like we’ve just scratched the surface. And because there’s such a huge cast in this show, there’s so much more of all the characters.”

She’s not wrong; there are multiple books in Julia Quinn’s series of Bridgerton novels, and season one only really covers the first novel: The Duke and I.

Well, the next novel in the Bridgerton series is call The Viscount Who Loved Me, and it’s all about Daphne’s eldest brother Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and a young woman called Kate Sheffield. So it’s possible season two would introduce us to a new heroine and put the focus on Anthony.

But also…

*SPOILER ALERT for season one*

…We’ll hopefully find out more about the heir to the Featherington estate, after the untimely death of Lord Featherington (Ben Miller). And fans will be wondering how this affects the fortunes of Penelope and her two sisters.

Speaking of Penelope, will she ever make her feelings known to Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton)? And will Eloise (Claudia Jessie) enter the marriage market despite her reluctance? And will Benedict (Luke Thompson) continue to explore his sexuality and his passion for art?

Presumably, Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page) will no longer be the show’s main characters, now that their conflict is resolved and they’re happily making babies at Clyvedon Castle. But we’d expect them both to return as characters in season two.

We’d also expect the Bridgerton cast for season two to include Julie Andrews as the voice of Lady Whistledown, Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Nicola Coughlan (Penelope Featherington), and the rest of the core cast including Claudia Jessie, Adjoa Andoh, Ruth Gemmell, and Polly Walker.

It remains to be seen whether Marina Thompson (Ruby Barker) reemerges in the story, having married her dead lover’s brother so that her unborn child could be born in wedlock. The two were last seen driving away from Featherington House.

But one person who won’t be back is Ben Miller, who played Lord Featherington. Or should we say, the late Lord Featherington.

It’s likely Netflix would announce further additions to the cast for season two – but we’ll just have to wait and see.