Bridgerton. (L to R) Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in ... [+]
Season three of Netflix’s Regency-era drama Bridgerton has become the most successful season of the beloved Shondaland series based on viewership numbers. With part two still on the horizon, the latest season could rank as one of the most popular Netflix TV series of all time, surpassing seasons one and two.
Bridgerton was the most-watched title on Netflix from the period of May 13 - 18 by a landslide, according to Variety. The first four episodes, released on May 16, reached a whopping 45.1 million views during its opening weekend on Netflix.
Bridgerton is likely to remain on the streamer’s Top 10 list for several weeks before the premiere of part two on June 13, which will provide another viewership boost. The streaming giant has utilized the two-part release strategy for its biggest shows, including Stranger Things season four and The Witcher season three.
Compared to past installments, the second season of Bridgerton premiered in 2022 and accumulated 193 million minutes watched across eight episodes. When divided by the season’s 8.5-hour runtime, that comes out to 22.7 million views, which is barely over half of season three’s premiere. Data for season one’s opening weekend was not released, but Variety reports that season two outperformed it.
Bridgerton. (L to R) Luke Newton as Colin Bridgerton, Nicola Coughlan as Penelope Featherington in ... [+]
In season three, Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton reprise their roles as Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. The plot revolves around Penelope’s journey for a husband, while Colin, fresh from Paris, captures the attention of debutantes. He offers to assist Penelope in her search, but their relationship takes a complicated turn when he realizes he has feelings for her. Season three is an adaptation of Julia Quinn’s bestselling novel, Romancing Mister Bridgerton.
Bridgerton stars like Claudia Jessie (Eloise Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), also returned for season three.
Meanwhile, fresh faces include Hannah Dodd, who took over the role of Francesca Bridgerton, alongside Victor Alli as John Stirling, Daniel Francis as Marcus Anderson, James Phoon as Harry Dankworth, and The Crown’s Sam Phillips as Lord Debling.
Part two will continue with the fifth episode following Colin’s whirlwind proposal. “For God’s sake, Penelope Featherington. Are you going to marry me or not?” he asks her before the screen cuts to black.
Showrunner Jess Brownell teased to Netflix’s Tudum that Colin will discover Penelope’s massive secret in part two: that she is Lady Whistledown (as teased in the part two teaser on Netflix).
Stay tuned to learn more about Bridgerton Season 3.
