There’s been a lot of fan murmuring about whether the Netflix hit “Bridgerton” will lean into the more progressive sensibilities of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) and give the character the LGBTQ+ treatment on the show. But with the series opting to skip Benedict’s story for the friends-lovers relationship between his younger brother Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) in the third season of “Bridgerton,” viewers are understandably wondering. Yes I will ever find a strange love story in the Ton.
The “Bridgerton” universe did features a queer romance in its spinoff series, “Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story,” between Reynolds and Brimsley. And of course, there is some LGBT representation among the cast, most notably with season 2 lead Jonathan Bailey, who identifies as a gay man in real life. But the original series “Bridgerton” has lacked on-screen queer love for the past two seasons, a shortcoming that new showrunner Jess Brownell, who took the reins this season from creator Chris Van Dusen, hopes to rectify in upcoming episodes.
However, Brownell did not specify whether those impending queer stories will focus on existing characters like Benedict or on personalities not yet introduced. “I can’t say exactly how that will play out over this season and the next two seasons, but I will say that I’m excited for fans to see that,” she added.
And the stars of “Bridgerton” are equally excited about the prospect of greater LGBTQ+ representation in the period drama, which has already been anachronistically progressive when it comes to issues like race and feminism. Nicola Coughlan, who stands out this season as lead character Penelope Featherington, told the outlet that she is “desperate” for more queer inclusion on the show.
“I can’t wait. I think it’s going to be so beautiful,” the actress told Pride. “The wonderful thing about Bridgerton is that it’s a made-up world that has never existed. It’s a Regency London where we use all these crazy bright colors, it’s really perse, there’s glitter eyeshadow. So I think there’s a lot of room for queer love stories and I think all love stories deserve to be celebrated.”
The third season of “Bridgerton” will be pided into two parts: the first four episodes on Thursday, May 16, and the final four installments will follow on Thursday, June 13. Brownell has previously teased that it will be clear to those who watch the season. 3 which Bridgerton brother will be the focus of the show’s fourth season, which is already greenlit, so it remains to be seen if that’s Benedict Bridgerton, and if the season will see a queer relationship.
Jugo Mobile will keep you up to date on all upcoming episodes, but in the meantime, you can revisit the first two seasons of “Bridgerton” on Netflix.
