'Bridgerton 3' to release in May 2024

The third season of steamy Regency-era romance Bridgerton will be back on Netflix in May 2024.

The drama will be split in two parts -- the first part will premiere on May 16 followed by the second part on June 13. The new season will have eight episodes, reported Deadline.

The series, based on the books written by Julia Quinn, focuses on the eight siblings of the Bridgerton family as they try to find love in Regency-era London's ton during the social season when marriageable youth are launched into society.

The first season of the show by Shondaland debuted on December 25, 2020, and became a hit on the streamer. Its second season, which premiered on March 25, 2022, surpassed viewership records set by the first season.

In May 2023, Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, a spin-off of the story, released and was critically lauded.

The third season will focus on the nature of Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton's friendship.

In the aftermath of Season 2’s Featherington Ball, Penelope is left heartbroken after overhearing Colin say to a group of bachelors that he would never court her. Penelope’s falling out with best friend Eloise (Claudia Jessie) in the Season 2 finale won’t help her mood either. But, at Tudum: A Global Fan Event, Coughlan assured viewers Penelope is ready for a scandalous new London season in Season 3.

“Polin stans, I see you!” Coughlan said from the Tudum stage in June. “This season Penelope returns to London determined to become a new woman with a new independence… We cannot wait to take you along for the carriage ride.”

According to the official synopsis, Penelope enters Season 3 finally ready to give up her longtime crush on Colin. However, that doesn’t mean she’s done with love. Instead, Penelope has decided it’s time to take a husband — and preferably one who will give her the freedom to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from the prying eyes of her mother and sisters.

Yet, as the rest of the synopsis reads, “lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly. Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize 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 offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise, who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.”

As Coughlan and Newton take the lead, the pair is joined by a host of series regulars. Jessie, Luke Thompson (Benedict Bridgerton), Golda Rosheuvel (Queen Charlotte), Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury), Ruth Gemmell (Violet Bridgerton), Lorraine Ashbourne (Mrs. Varley), Hannah Dodd (Francesca Bridgerton), Simone Ashley (Kate Sharma), Jonathan Bailey (Anthony Bridgerton), Harriet Cains (Philipa Featherington), Bessie Carter (Prudence Featherington), Jessica Madsen (Cressida Cowper), Florence Hunt (Hyacinth Bridgerton), Martins Imhangbe (Will Mondrich), Will Tilston (Gregory Bridgerton), Polly Walker (Portia Featherington), and Julie Andrews (Lady Whistledown).

Hugh Sachs (Brimsley), Emma Naomi (Alice Mondrich), and Kathryn Drysdale (Genevieve Delacroix) round out the key cast.