Bridgerton boss on why Season 3 will be completely different from the book

Netflix caused quite the stir among Bridgerton fans when a big change to the original storyline was announced last month. Nicola Coughlan revealed season three of the TV series would focus on the relationship between her character Penelope Featherington and Luke Newton’s character Colin Bridgerton.

Readers of the original novels by Julia Quinn had expected the third season to follow the third book and focus on Benedict’s love story. They were left divided over the decision.

So why did the execs at Netflix decide to veer from the book order? Well, they haven’t been following Julia Quinn’s storylines exactly anyway. Even though the main characters from book one were the main characters in season one and the same formula was followed in season two, many original plot points were still missed, changed or added.

READ MORE: Bridgerton fans divided over huge season 3 announcement

“We already differ from the books,” new showrunner Jess Brownell told Variety. “We’re an ensemble show. The books on one romantic pair at a time and maybe the siblings have a little cameo here and there but they don’t have full stories.” This means Benedict could still have a “full story” in season three despite not being the main character.

As for the decision to jump forward to the storyline of book four ‘Romancing Mr Bridgerton’, Jess admitted she felt like the show couldn’t wait any longer to tell ‘Polin’s’ story. She told Variety: “I really feel like it’s Colin and Penelope’s time.

“Because we’ve been watching both of these actors on our screens since Season 1, we’ve already invested in them. Instead of treading water on that dynamic, we wanted to push it into their season. It really felt like the perfect moment to tee it up.”

Nicola Coughlan seemed to agree with the sentiment that ‘Polin’ could wait no longer.

“I feel like if you see Penelope fawning over this boy for another season you’ll be like, ‘Get it together! Come on, move on and get over it,” she told E! News.

Well, we won’t have to wait another season. Polin will be taking over our screens and hearts as soon as Bridgerton returns. We’ll have to wait and see how fast they “get it together”, though, because amends need to be made before a romance can blossom between them.