Everything the ‘Bridgerton’ cast and crew have said about the show not following the books in order

The decision to not follow Julia Quinn’s book series in the exact order of its series certainly didn’t go down well with everyone.

The historical drama, which premiered in 2020, focuses on the members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th-century London. Season 1 focuses on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the main couple from the first book, The Duke and I.

Bridgerton Season 3 ending explained Do Penelope and Colin get married? Where do the other couples stand?

The decision to not follow Julia Quinn’s book series in the exact order it was written certainly wasn’t universally popular.

The historical drama, which premiered in 2020, focuses on members of the wealthy Bridgerton family as they search for love in 19th-century London. Season 1 focuses on Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page), the main couple from the first book, The Duke and I.

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Season 2 is inspired by the second novel, The Viscount Who Loved Me, in which Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) finds love with Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). Readers were expecting the sequel to continue Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson), as the third novel, An Offer from a Gentleman, followed his relationship with newcomer Sophie.

However, the creative team behind Bridgerton had other plans. In May 2022, Netflix confirmed that Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) would be the main cast members of the third season, which is based on Quinn’s Romancing Mister Bridgerton books.
Not all Bridgerton viewers were happy with the change in storytelling. Before season 3 debuted on Netflix in 2024, fans questioned whether Benedict would be pushed back more than a season due to the increased focus on Eloise Bridgerton’s (Claudia Jessie) dating life. The twists continued as at the end of season 3, viewers were introduced to Francesca’s (Hannah Dodd) future love interest, Michael, except the role was gender-swapped so Michael is Michaela (Masali Baduza).

Scroll down to see everything the Bridgerton cast and crew have said about the on-screen departure:
showrunner Shonda Rhimes confirmed in March 2022 that the show would not follow the order of the books, telling Entertainment Tonight, “There are eight Bridgerton siblings, so we’re planning on following each sibling’s romance story. We’re not necessarily going in order, but we’re going to be looking at each sibling and their story.”

Two months later, Netflix announced Colin as the lead for season three, meaning Benedict was passed over.