According to Deadline, the Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell (Inventing Anna, Off the Map) addressed why Benedict was skipped in the series. The upcoming third season will instead focus on Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. This goes against the order of books that the show is based on, which are written by Julia Quinn (To Sir Phillip With Love, When He Was Wicked).
According to Deadline, Brownell explained how the audience has become families with this couple in the past two seasons.
“We’ve been watching Pen’s crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That’s a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change. This really felt like the right time to lean into what’s been set up with them. On the Benedict side, he’s such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down,” Brownell said via Deadline.
Deadline also revealed that Brownell is the show’s new showrunner, with the previous one being Chris Van Dusen (Grey’s Anatomy, Scandal). Van Dusen will, however, remain as an executive producer with Shonda Rhimes (The Residence, Grey’s Anatomy), Betsy Beers (Casanova, No Escape), and Tom Verica (American Dreams, How to Get Away With Murder).
Along with this news, Deadline claimed the official synopsis of season three “finds Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) as she’s finally given up her crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing him disparage her to his friends last season. Instead, she’s focusing on finding a husband who will respect her independence so she may continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, away from her mother and sisters. Due to her lack of confidence, however, her search doesn’t go so well. Meanwhile, Colin is back from his summer travels with a new look and major swagger. He is disheartened to learn 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 helps Penelope boost her confidence so as to attract the perfect husband. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin is faced with figuring out what his true feelings for his friend really are.”
Netflix’s Bridgerton will return for its third season in two parts. The first half of the eight episodes will premiere on May 16. The remainder will stream on June 13.