As Netflix releases a first look at Bridgerton Season 2, Vogue breaks down everything we know so far about the next instalment of the Shonda Rhimes hit.
Will there be a Season 2 of Bridgerton?
Netflix confirmed Bridgerton season two on 21 January via a dispatch from Lady Whistledown. “The Ton are abuzz with the latest gossip, and so it is my honour to impart to you: Bridgerton shall officially return for a second season,” reads the Society Paper. “I do hope you have stored a bottle of ratafia for this most delightful occasion.” In terms of practical details, Whistledown shares that she “has been reliably informed that Lord Anthony Bridgerton intends to dominate the social season”, before promising that she will have her pen “ready to report on any and all of his romantic activities”.
What hints are there about Bridgerton Season 2 in the original series?
One word: bees. Jonathan Bailey, who stars as Anthony, also gave British Vogue a sense of what to expect. “I feel like the campy, plush spectacle of the Bridgerton world is only going to get more pronounced in the best way possible. It’s mad, and it’s brilliant. There are also going to be a lot of brilliant characters introduced in this series—and it’s not just Anthony that we’re going to delve into… The robust universe that’s been set up by Shonda and Chris will just expand, and keep pushing boundaries in a way that’s quietly subversive. There’s just going to be more of what everyone loves, I think. There’s loads of little Easter Eggs for all of the characters.”
Is Bridgerton Season 2 based on a book?
While the first series pulls heavily from Julia Quinn’s novel The Duke And I, the second will be inspired by The Viscount Who Loved Me, which centres on Anthony’s quest to find a wife during the 1814 season. Like his sister Daphne, his journey to the altar is convoluted. More specifically, after the notoriously rakish bachelor proposes to the “diamond” of the season, Edwina, he finds himself at odds with her disapproving, wilful sister Katharine, until their verbal sparring turns into a mutual attraction. Cue sparks flying, bosoms heaving, and yet more bees.
Has Bridgerton Season 2 finished filming?
With filming repeatedly delayed by coronavirus outbreaks on set—production halted twice in July, and again in September—Bridgerton has yet to wrap production for Season 2.
When is the release date for Bridgerton Season 2?
Given the above COVID-19-related delays, Netflix will likely only drop the second instalment of the franchise in spring 2022. Don’t shoot the messenger.
Is the Duke of Hastings in Bridgerton Season 2?
For those who have failed to read their Lady Whistledown dispatches, the Duke of Hastings will be noticeably absent from season two of Bridgerton. Netflix posted a wisteria-framed Instagram notice on 2 April that read: “While all eyes turn to Lord Anthony Bridgerton’s quest to find a Viscountess, we bid adieu to Regé-Jean Page, who so triumphantly played the Duke of Hastings. We’ll miss Simon’s presence on-screen, but he will always be a part of the Bridgerton family.” This proved almost too much to bear for much of the internet, with Rhimes herself even weighing in on the intensity of fans’ devastation. “I was really shocked, because usually that happens when I’ve killed off somebody that’s been around for a while,” the TV genius told Vanity Fair. “Like, we didn’t kill him, he’s still alive… We gave them their happily ever after! And now we have this next couple coming.”
So, which cast members will return for Bridgerton Season 2?
As you might expect given the title of the series, all of the Bridgertons will appear in the next season, including Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor). “Daphne will remain a devoted wife and sister, helping her brother navigate the upcoming social season and what it has to offer—more intrigue and romance than my readers may be able to bear,” Netflix-as-Lady-Whistledown confirmed. Given that the first season ended on a cliffhanger for the Featheringtons—namely, who now owns their estate—it’s reasonable to assume that Lady Featherington and her brood will also feature heavily, with Lady Whistledown keeping the Ton in check.
Is Simone Ashley joining the cast for Bridgerton Season 2?
Yes, the biggest casting news so far is that Simone Ashley—aka Olivia Hanan on Netflix’s Sex Education—will appear as Anthony’s romantic sparring partner, Kate Sharma. (Can you imagine what Dr Jean F Milburn would have to say to the Ton’s sexually repressed inhabitants?). Originally named Katharine Sheffield in Julia Quinn’s novels, Ashley’s character has been reimagined for the Netflix adaptation, with Kate and her family being of Indian descent.
Who else will join the cast for Bridgerton Season 2?
Charithra Chandran will play Kate’s sister Edwina, who longs for a romantic match, and Shelley Conn will star as Sharma matriarch Lady Mary, whose marriage once scandalised polite society. Rupert Young, on the other hand, will take a turn as Jack, an aristocrat who’s newly arrived in London and has connections to some of its most prominent families, and Calam Lynch will play working-class printer’s assistant Theo Sharpe, who has some refreshingly liberal political ideas.
Is there a trailer for Bridgerton Season 2?
Not quite, but Netflix did unveil a first look at Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley sparring in character on 25 September.
What do we know so far about Season 3 and 4 of Bridgerton?
In a surprise announcement on 13 April, Netflix confirmed that Bridgerton will get a third and fourth series. “Esteemed members of the Ton, it seems we have a rather special announcement. Bridgerton shall return for seasons three and four. This author shall have to purchase more ink…”
Given that each season of Bridgerton will apparently correspond to one of Julia Quinn’s novels, it’s fair to assume that season three will be based on An Offer from a Gentleman, which sees Benedict fall for Sophie Beckett, the daughter of an earl who’s forced to work as a housemaid by her peculiarly vicious stepmother.
Season four, on the other hand, will be inspired by Romancing Mr Bridgerton, and chronicles Colin’s relationship with Penelope Featherington as he returns to the Ton after his European travels.
How many seasons of Bridgerton will there be in total?
God and Shonda Rhimes willing, there will be eight series to correspond with the eight novels—each of which chronicles a different sibling’s romantic misadventures. As a reminder, those siblings in order of birth are: Anthony, Benedict, Colin, Daphne, Eloise, Francesca, Gregory, and Hyacinth. “The concept is that every season, there’s a couple and that couple is the hot couple that you’re falling in love with, right?” Rhimes told Vanity Fair. “And there are eight Bridgertons. So by the time you get to Hyacinth—oh, dear God, she’ll be grown up by then, obviously we’re not going to match up a child!—we’ll grow Hyacinth up and you’ll see her story, too.”
Is there a Queen Charlotte Bridgerton spin-off planned?
A prequel devoted to the early years of Queen Charlotte’s utterly surreal life is due to commence production in 2022, taking a deep-dive into her journey to the British throne. Excitingly, Shonda Rhimes will serve as the main writer for the drama.
Will there be any more Bridgerton spin-offs?
While there’s no word on whether any other characters will receive their own spin-off show, you can certainly expect to experience much more Bridgerton outside of the series, with virtual reality experiences, video games and in-person events planned. The next will be the Secret Cinema Bridgerton Ball, set for 16 February 2022. Corsets at the ready!
Where is Bridgerton filmed in the UK?
In spite of being set in London, much of Bridgerton is filmed in Bath, whose Regency streets have appeared in period dramas ranging from Vanity Fair to The Duchess in recent years. The Royal Crescent, designed by architect John Wood between 1767 and 1774, is reimagined as Mayfair’s Grosvenor Square, while the Bath Assembly Rooms, the Holburne Museum, and Abbey Green also feature in key scenes. In terms of stately homes, Hatfield House in Hertfordshire—where The Crown has also filmed—provides the backdrop for many of the drama’s interior scenes, while Castle Howard in York and Wilton House in Salisbury stood in for the Duke and Duchess of Hastings’s home of Clyvedon Castle in season one. Hampton Court Palace and Lancaster House, meanwhile, represented Queen Charlotte’s Palace, and Ranger’s House in Greenwich is depicted as the home of the Bridgerton clan.
This story was originally published on British Vogue.
