While “Bridgerton” Season 1 and 2 center on the brightest gems of the debutante crop, new showrunner Jess Brownell embraced rooting for the underdog as Season 3 turned its attention to the friends-to-lovers arc between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton.
“Penelope has been a wallflower [and] Colin has been this third son who hasn’t quite found himself,” Brownell told TheWrap. “It’s about underdogs stepping into their power and stepping into their authenticity — both Colin and Penn have to embrace their true selves before they’re able to find true love.”
Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin (Luke Newton) aren’t the only characters who undergo a transformation this season, as Brownell teased both Francesca (played by new cast member Hannah Dodd) and Eloise (Claudia Jessie) inhabit a “whole different role,” with Francesca making her societal debut and testing the romance waters for the first time.