Darlings, is there anything like a Bridgerton premiere? We certainly think not. And if you weren't able to tune in to Shondaland's YouTube channel last night for our live broadcast from the global New York City premiere of season three of Bridgerton, we, of course, have you covered.
Above, you can watch the full two-hour red carpet. Held inside the majestic Alice Tully Hall at Lincoln Center, the Bridgerton premiere was truly a spectacle and … one might say, flawless, my dear. The cast came out en masse, with many of our faves — including Luke Newton, Ruth Gemmell, Hannah Dodd, Simone Ashley, Jonathan Bailey, and Polly Walker — in attendance. And, of course, the diamond of the night, thee Nicola Coughlan, snatched our wigs (more on that in the video above!) in a resplendent white gown, emerald earrings, and dramatic white gloves. Coughlan — who shines brightest in season three as Penelope Featherington and goes from wallflower to full bloom as her relationship with Colin takes new life — arrived last on the red carpet but gushed about the joys of filming the season.
“I felt super-different from season one to two,” she told Shondaland, “but I was so lucky I had Luke Newton, because he is so wonderful. They wrote it so brilliantly; Jess Brownell was an incredible showrunner. We just got to have fun and do it. It was great.”
As hundreds of fans and influencers looked on outside the hall’s glass walls, the night opened with charming performances: The Asher Entertainment dance troupe did a gorgeous routine as Vitamin String Quartet, responsible for the addictive covers of pop songs since day one of the series, charmed the guests with beautiful music. Guests, waiting for the screening to start inside the theater, sipped Bridgerton-themed cocktails (made, of course, with the Williams Sonoma cocktail mix) and took in the splendor of the atmosphere, created in part with some 6,000 flowers arranged by 35 people from the Angel Salazar Design company. The majestic scenery complemented how executive producer Shonda Rhimes feels about the overall look and feel of the season itself.
“It’s really luscious,” Rhimes said. “I feel you get this bigger experience. Plus, we have a lot of really big set pieces and very different gowns this year, which is exciting.”
This more expansive world, as fans know, has a lot going on this season. With Penelope and Colin going on a journey from friends to lovers, Penelope and Eloise dealing with a heartbreaking rift, Eloise and Cressida becoming an unlikely alliance, and Colin still precariously in the dark about Penelope’s dreadful secret of being the real Lady Whistledown, members of the cast said they were excited for people to see how it all plays out. “There’s nothing more fun than when an audience knows something that none of the characters know,” Claudia Jessie said, speaking of the Whistledown/Polin landmine about to erupt any minute in the series. “And now, one character knows with the audience. I think Eloise wants to protect her brother, but also I think she doesn’t want to reveal anything because she still loves Penelope. There’s a bit of an uphill battle there, but ‘Pel-ouise’ ain’t going anywhere.”
New showrunner Jess Brownell had this to add about reexploring old relationships in season three: “Initially, there was a lot of anxiety about being able to meet the bar or raise the bar — you want to fulfill the expectation. Naturally, there’s a different feeling to each season. So, I just tried to focus on what was right for Penelope and Colin. I love the idea of going from friends to lovers. It’s one of my favorite romance tropes, friends to lovers. And it brings something new to the series that we haven’t seen before. There’s real depth between these characters and a lot of history. So, it allowed us to bring in a little bit more comedic stuff this year and a little bit more laughter because these characters have known each other for a longer time. We were able to go a little bit further with the intimacy because we knew, like, there’s a comfort there. And they’ve earned it.”
Newton beamed as he talked about Colin’s story, relaying his excitement about (a very buff) Colin’s adventures both as a dashing hero (via at least one heart-racing stunt scene) and, of course, in his pursuit of romance. “It’s a storyline that a lot of people resonate with,” Newton said. “What’s so beautifully done in this season is these scenes where you go through a range of emotions in the space of, like, 10 seconds. But you know,” he said, speaking of Colin’s storyline and season three overall, “it’s really sincere and emotional and gentle.”
After the cast walked the red carpet, guests filed inside the theater and watched the premiere — clapping and laughing and getting misty as the magical moment finally arrived. Following the screening, attendees jetted over to an exclusive after-party at Tavern on the Green, the iconic, magical restaurant in Central Park that’s almost as old as the Bridgerton world itself, dating back to 1870 — an absolutely perfect choice to celebrate the new season.
Malcolm Venable is a Senior Staff Writer at Shondaland. Follow him on Twitter @malcolmvenable.
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