Should you bother watching Bridgerton series 3?

Gentle reader, I have thoughts.

Netflix hit series Bridgerton has been dubbed “groundbreaking” for more reasons than one – not least the record breaking popularity of its sexy first season, wracking up 625.49 million hours viewed in its first 28 days on the streamer.

At the centre of each season is a couple, comprised of one Bridgerton sibling and their significant other – it’s usually something of a slow burn, culminating in some rather steamy sex scenes a la Regency era. Stockings off. Bodice ripped. You get the picture.

There have been many highlights over the seasons when it comes to seduction on screen. We had the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) asking Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) to touch herself, we had Lord Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey)’s simmering line about Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) being “the bane of my existence and the object of all my desires”. It’s all very swoon-worthy and sexy, we won’t lie, undeniably the series’ USP.

But as the third season of Bridgerton airs, with Big Mood and Derry Girls star Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton taking over the star-crossed lovers mantle, the format of it all, the whole set up feels just slightly repetitive. Sure, we’ve got the friends-to-lovers trope to play with this time, the “she was there all along” fairytale line, and there’s a scene in a carriage that will certainly raise a few eyebrows and make some of us feel hot under the collar, but I couldn’t help but feel we all knew where it was going this time from the get go.

Where was the tension? The goosebumps? After three seasons of unlikely couplings coming together and getting it on, the predictability of the former stops the latter from being as compelling.

© 2024 Netflix, Inc.

It’s important to remember here that the first season of Bridgerton was groundbreaking for many reasons – not least the timing of its release. The first season aired in December 2020, our first Christmas in lockdown. Let’s face it, we’d had a tough year and many of us were beyond sexually frustrated. Enter the true gift that was the Duke of Hastings and Daphne Bridgerton’s physical and verbal foreplay. It was seriously hot. Then came Jonathan Bailey and Sex Education star Simone Ashley’s turn, transforming Bailey into a sex symbol overnight.

Now, in 2024, no one is denying Luke and Nicola aren’t absolute stars in their own right, and their chemistry has been built on for multiple seasons, but the toing and froing of their attraction just felt slightly formulaic. Like we’d seen a lot of the lead up before, because we have. It’s not that Bridgerton couplings have completely lost their lustre, it’s just that they’ve lost any sense of unpredictability. Any suggestion of a plot twist in the form of a pervasive love triangle (enter Lord Debling, this season) that will interrupt the lead couple’s love is laughable at this point.

The Bridgerton pairings are so often portrayed as starting out as illicit affairs – but how can they continue to feel so when the formula that brings them together feels the same every time?

© 2024 Netflix, Inc.

A lot of the problem comes down to the fact that the series is based on Julia Quinn’s book series – there are eight in total – so we’re able to track the romantic storylines to a very detailed degree from looking at the plot of the novels, each one getting its own season so far. While Netflix may be honouring Julia’s work by sticking fairly close to the romantic pairings, it may be time to mix things up – bringing some romantic pairings from outside the novels into the story to keep things fresh. Whether that’s creating new characters, plot lines or playing with the protagonists’ sexuality.

Julia herself said in an interview that she thought introducing a queer protagonist was a “good idea”. Maybe straying from the original material might inject a bit of fire and shock factor to the romantic proceedings at least. What’s more, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has suggested queer love will be explored in seasons 4 and 5, despite there only being one LGBQIA+ character in the novels, who shows up in the final book. So maybe we will see more of a mix up and less heteronormative storylines in future seasons.

That’s not to say that the “formula” that Bridgerton follows for season three lacks impact in some areas. The orchestral covers of popular modern tracks are back with a vengeance (Sia’s Cheap Thrills being a favourite), the costumes are beyond beautiful and the sex scenes themselves are certainly still a good romp. Most importantly, Nicola Couglan has already spoken out in an interview with Stylist about the “empowering” experience of being “very naked on camera”, with the choice to do this being a “fuck you” to all the conversations surrounding her body.

Some new storylines are also compelling, including Penelope’s ailing friendship with Eloise and Eloise’s subsequent decision to befriend bully Cressida Cowper, where we see the complexity of her character for the first time. We also are treated to the slightest hints of a romance for Lady Bridgerton.

LAURENCE CENDROWICZ

It’s clear why we anticipate Bridgerton’s return so keenly every time. The nostalgia of it, the comfort of old characters and beautiful costumes. The commitment to sex positive, body positive, (mostly) representative stories.

But when it comes to its core, the love matches, the series could do with a shake up.

Bridgerton season 3, part 1 is available to watch now on Netflix.