Readers of Julia Quinn's 'Bridgerton' book series already know that a mirror plays a steamy role in the burgeoning romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton. And it looks like that reflective scene will play out onscreen in 'Bridgerton' season 3, per a recent sneak peek from Netflix.
Last week, the Netflix series posted a 30-second teaser to its official social media account, in which viewers can see Penelope (Nicola Coughlan) gazing into a mirror while wearing an opulent aqua-blue gown. Her longtime friend and crush Colin (Luke Newton) comes behind her and the two brush hands as they catch each other's gaze in the mirror. "A look such as this from Mister Colin Bridgerton would surely make even the most perennial of wallflowers swoon, would it not?" read the caption, with the streamer cheekily adding "POLIN LOADING" in the comments, referencing the fan name of the beloved 'Bridgerton' couple.
The fresh clip also reminded fans of the new season's release dates, with episodes dropping on Netflix in two batches: the first four eps will debut on Thursday, May 16 and the final four installments will follow on Thursday, June 13.
There have been several teasers released in the lead-up to the new episodes. A February 2024 promo featured an actual conversation between Penelope and Colin, with the former taking the gentleman to task for making comments about her to his friends near the end of the second season. And a clip that debuted last month highlighted another fan-favorite 'Bridgerton' couple, Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley) and Colin's older bro Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey), better known by their own couple's name "Kanthony."
As 'Bridgerton' fans know, each season spotlights a different couple from the Julia Quinn-penned book series: the first followed the romance between eldest Bridgerton daughter Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset, the Duke of Hastings (Regé-Jean Page) while the second showcased Kate and Anthony's relationship. However, the third season of the show will shake up the order of the novels, skipping over to Penelope and Colin's story from the fourth 'Bridgerton' book, "Romancing Mister Bridgerton."
If all goes to plan, the third 'Bridgerton' novel, "An Offer From A Gentleman" —which delves into the relationship drama of Colin's artsy older brother Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) — will reportedly be adapted into a future season of the period drama.
Jess Brownell, who is the new 'Bridgerton' showrunner going into season 3, told Entertainment Weekly about the sibling switcheroo: "We've spent two seasons really getting to know Penn and Colin. We've been watching Penn's crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That's a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change. This really felt like the right time to lean into what's been set up with them. On the Benedict side, he's such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down."
As you wait on those new season 3 episodes, Tom's Guide will keep you up to date with all 'Bridgerton'-related intel, including any and all POLIN teasers to come.
