Bridgerton Season 3 Confirms Regé-Jean Page’s Simon Is No Longer Required
Bridgerton season 3 will focus on the Colin/Penelope storyline that has been building since season 1, and its development confirms that actor Regé-Jean Page as Simon is no longer required. Season 3 is out, season 4 is in the works, and a spin-off series focusing on Queen Charlotte and King George has been released. While most of the cast returned for Bridgerton seasons 2 and 3, it was announced that Page would not be reprising his role as the Duke of Hastings.
At first, it was disappointing to learn that Regé-Jean Page would not be returning as Simon Basset in Bridgerton season 2. The actor made such a positive impression on fans in season 1 that it was almost impossible to imagine the Netflix series continuing without him. Many wondered what Page’s absence would also mean for Phoebe Dynevor’s Daphne Bridgerton, whose story arc is closely tied to Simon’s. Despite initial concerns, Bridgerton seasons 2 and 3 continued without Page, and will continue to do so in season 4.
In spring 2021, a few months after Bridgerton season 1 dropped on Netflix in December 2020, Page announced that he was leaving one of Netflix’s biggest series to date. It was a surprise at the time, but Page had signed on for one season, and as he told Vanity Fair, “I signed up to do a job and I did the job…. That’s it.” Unlike other cast members, including Dynevor, Page is the only main cast member from the series to appear in only one season of Bridgerton.
After Simon’s arc ended, he was not obligated to appear in future seasons of Bridgerton. That left the actor free to appear in other projects. Since Bridgerton season 1 ended, Page has gone on to appear in Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves and the Ryan Gosling-starring Netflix action thriller The Gray Man.
With Regé-Jean Page gone, many were worried that Bridgerton season 2 would be a drop in quality. Now focused on Anthony Bridgerton and his complicated budding romance with Kate Sharma, season 2 has skyrocketed despite Simon barely being mentioned. The wonderful, yearning, intense chemistry of Jonathan Bailey and Simone Ashley stole the show. It was enough to make people forget Simon was even a part of the series, except when Daphne showed up. The Duke of Hastings’ absence, however, is no deterrent, as there’s a new, fiery romance to focus on—one that takes a different approach and has its own dose of emotional conflict.
Kate and Anthony are exactly the main characters that Bridgerton needed in season 2. If it were any other couple’s story, the series might have fallen behind, but Kate and Anthony’s story is strong enough to avoid the problems that Regé-Jean Page’s absence caused. It completely diverted the audience’s attention, and it paid off, making Bridgerton season 2 even more watchable than its predecessor. There are also other characters to focus on, giving the audience enough content to avoid losing Simon, while also reinforcing that the series isn’t in trouble because of Page’s departure.
