Opinion | Is ‘Bridgerton’ Season Three worth the wait?

My first year of college, back in 2022, I hesitantly joined the slew of “Bridgerton” fans. Season Two of “Bridgerton” had just come out, and my love for enemies-to-lovers plotlines got the best of me. I just had to watch. This first season, truthfully, was hard to get through. I loved Daphne and Simon on their own, but their relationship was difficult to watch and their issues seemed impossible to get through. I mean, Daphne’s whole issue at the end of the day is that Simon wouldn’t finish inside of her, which ultimately ended up with her assaulting him and forcing him to get her pregnant. But I persevered with the knowledge that there’d be witty banter and longing glances in the next season. And boy, did I end up loving it.

Kate and Anthony saved the day. Their love story and dynamic was so raw and intriguing that it kept me on the edge of my seat. Whereas I took nearly a month to get through Season One of “Bridgerton,” I ate Anthony and Kate’s season up in less than two days. I was so enamored with the story and setting of the Bridgerton siblings that I fell even more in love when “Queen Charlotte” came out last year. I shed a few tears over her and George’s story, I must admit. Despite being a Benedict girl myself, when I found out that it was Penelope and Colin’s season next, I was overjoyed.

And when an opportunity arose to go and see a sneak peak of Season Three, I jumped at the opportunity.

On Valentine’s Day morning, I rolled out of bed and hopped onto the livestream to get a first look at “Bridgerton” Season Three. I may have gotten only a two-minute look, that has since been shared to the vast world of social media, but let me tell you — I am so unbelievably excited.

The special “Bridgerton” event began with Shonda Rhimes — AKA the genius behind Shondaland and shows like “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal” — brand new showrunner Jess Brownell and author of the “Bridgerton” source material Julia Quinn.

“This time, we know the people who are falling in love. We are already rooting for them,” Rhimes, who executive produces the show, said when asked about her favorite part of the new season.

Each season, “Bridgerton” features a new couple. And while we’ve followed along with the Bridgerton siblings since Season One, unlike previous seasons which had outside love interests, Penelope Featherington has also been with us since the beginning. We’ve seen her and Colin’s friendship evolve, and it is finally time for their relationship to take to the next level. And of course, it is time for the infamous carriage scene as well.

“We get to see these characters step into their power this year,” Brownell responded. “I think it will make a lot of people who have an unrequited crush or who feel like an underdog feel very seen.”

Eventually, the lovely cast entered the screen. Much to the dismay of many of the live watchers, there was no Regé-Jean Page, Simon; Phoebe Dynevor, Daphne; Jonathan Bailey, Anthony; nor Simone Ashley, Kate. But, fans must remember, this is “Polin’s” season. And it is time for “Polin” to shine.

“They get these glow ups aesthetically, but then you really realize that they are still these big nerds underneath,” Nicola Coughlan, who plays Penelope, said.

When asked if Penelope has any other suitors this season, the video cut to the new character of Lord Debling. Luke Newton, who plays Colin Bridgerton, responded — “my biggest threat.”

And of course, “Bridgerton” wouldn’t be “Bridgerton” without its slew of side characters and subplots. The cast really highlighted how important Penelope and Eloise’s relationship is this season. For those who have forgotten, the end of Season Two left Eloise and Penelope in a major fight because Eloise found out that Penelope is the elusive gossip Lady Whistledown. Rhimes called their relationship the “second love story of the season.”

Not only that, but Golda Rosheuvel, who plays Queen Charlotte, and Adjoa Andoh, who plays Lady Danbury, discuss how their characters are moving from the stories told in “Queen Charlotte” to the upcoming season of Bridgerton.

“You sort of see in the early stages of these women how they have to navigate this new arena. How they protect themselves. How they strategize. How they form alliances. Who they avoid and who they lean towards,” Andoh said.

“Bridgerton” Season Three is a long time coming. Fans got wind of the production back in 2022 with the filming finishing up in March 2023. Originally, people presumed that Netflix would release the new season in December 2023. But unfortunately, fans have to wait even longer with a part one release date of May. The second half comes out later in June of this year.

I long miss the days when shows got a new season every nine months and 18 to 22 episodes per season. I miss when we didn’t have to wait a year, sometimes even two plus years, for all of six to 10 episodes. It is certainly frustrating, especially with such big hits like “Bridgerton.” Fans are constantly eating up what little content we do have and rewatching old episodes, trying desperately to find something new. But yet, we wait on the edge of our seats for all of eight episodes for years. No one is holding their breath.

Trust me when I say that I am incredibly excited for Season Three and will be immediately sitting my ass down to watch it. There are very few characters I relate to more than Penelope, and even though Colin’s definitely got some work to do, I must admit I have a soft spot for him. But is “Bridgerton” Season Three worth the wait? Honestly, as it stands now, no.

Season Two came out my first year here at Pitt, and now Season Three will be coming out right before I begin my senior year. As excited as I am, no TV show is worth such a wait. There are eight “Bridgerton” books, not including any spinoffs or novels that Quinn has written. By the time they finally get to the youngest sibling, Gregory, we’ll all probably be on to the next decade of our lives. Will we still even care about “Bridgerton” in our 30s, over a decade after the first season aired?

Shondaland better really pull through if Season Three is going to be worth it. I need every character to be impeccable, the sets to be marvelous and the story to be Pulitzer Prize-winning for me to really feel like waiting over two years for a new season is worth it.

But with all that said, I think Season Three stands a good shot at being the show’s best. The cast seems ecstatic with the final product, and it is the first time fans get a full, multi-season-long fleshed-out relationship to come into fruition. I really hope that Season Three is amazing — I am in no way preying on its downfall. But will Season Three be worth the multi-yearlong wait? I guess we’ll find out in May. Or June. Because of course Netflix is splitting it into two parts.

Livia LaMarca is the assistant editor of the opinions desk who misses using the Oxford comma. She mostly writes about American political discourse, US pop culture and social movements. Write to her at lll60@pitt.edu to share your own opinions!