Netflix’s two-part release strategy aims to keep shows in the cultural zeitgeist for longer. And it’s worked for Bridgerton.
Bridgerton season three is the latest series to undergo Netflix’s two-part release strategy.
In the first half of season three, which released on May 16, the Regency-era series turned its attention to the burgeoning romance between Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) and Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) - and left fans on quite the cliffhanger.
After a month-long wait, the second half of the series is finally out.
If you’re already binge-watched the first four episodes, here’s everything you need to know ahead of the final drop.
The first half of the season had Penelope recruiting Colin to help her find a husband on the marriage mart.
What happened in Bridgerton season three, part one?
Penelope had a falling out with her lifelong best friend, Colin’s younger sister Eloise. Feeling increasingly alienated from society and desperate to escape her family, she recruits Colin to help her find a husband on the marriage mart. In a moment of desperation, they share a kiss.
Penelope eventually finds her charm and attracts the attention of Lord Debling - and this is where things become complicated. As Colin and Penelope realise their feelings for one another, episode four leaves the status of their relationship on a cliffhanger.
The second half of season promises as much drama, romance, and gossip as the first.
In a teaser trailer, Colin and Penelope can be seen navigating the complications of their engagement, while Penelope’s double life as the elusive Lady Whistledown remains up in the air. “Colin cannot discover my secret,” she says in the clip. “Whistledown is power.”
Penelope’s fractured friendship with Eloise will also be called into question, when the latter threatens: “If it’s too difficult for you to reveal the truth, I will reveal it to him myself.”
Why is season three being released in two parts?
Netflix’s two-part release strategy aims to build anticipation and keep shows in the cultural zeitgeist for longer. And it’s worked for Bridgerton - the series has been in Netflix’s coveted Top 10 list since part one premiered four weeks earlier.
A two-part release is also a clever business strategy; for those using a free trial of the streaming service, a month-long wait might encourage users to pay for a subscription instead, if they wish to continue watching.
Showrunner and writer Jess Brownell also revealed the narrative reasons for splitting the season in half.
“We had actually written and produced the entire season before Netflix approached us to split the season into two. We did have a choice of where we wanted to split it, and it really worked perfectly to split it into equal parts. We always break the season with a midpoint at the end of episode four, which turns the action on its head for back half.
“That moment where Colin asks Pen to marry him is in many ways the completion of the first arc: Pen has achieved her goal in many ways, which was to find a husband. She got a proposal. However, there is a much larger arc hanging over her, which is that she is still Whistledown and Colin doesn’t know. So that’s something to be explored in the back half.”
Bridgerton has maintained its relevance with viewers, thanks to lead stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton. Photo / Netflix
Why has it worked for Bridgerton?
Netflix has trialled the two-part strategy before on shows like The Crown, The Witcher, and Stranger Things - and it hasn’t always had the intended effect.
However, Bridgerton has maintained its relevance with viewers, largely thanks to a charming press run by lead stars Nicola Coughlan and Luke Newton.
Coughlan is having a moment in popular culture - back in May, she went viral for looking way younger than she actually is.
“The other day I looked up her age because I was rewatching Derry Girls and I assumed she was 19-21 when they filmed and maybe in her mid-20s now. This queen is 37,” one user wrote on X.
“She’s the perfect argument against buccal fat removal because she’s proof that full cheeks keep you looking youthful (at 37),” another said.
While attending a special screening and Q&A, Coughlan was told by a female journalist that she was “very brave” for taking on the role - seemingly referencing her sex scene with in which she appears naked with co-star Luke Newton.
Her response: “You know, it is hard because I think women with my body type - women with perfect breasts - we don’t get to see ourselves on screen enough. And I’m very proud as a member of the perfect breasts community. I hope you enjoy seeing them.”
