“It only feels right to show all the ways in which people love, including queer love.”

Listen to this article
Loading audio…

A queer romance at the centre of Bridgerton? It’s more likely to happen than you think, actually.

Bridgerton season 3 is almost upon us, and Colin and Penelope’s spicy friends-to-lovers romance is about to take over our lives. But as a new season begins, conversation is once again turning to the inclusion of LGBTQ+ characters in the show.

In the past, viewers have questioned Bridgerton’s lack of queer relationships. The hugely popular Queen Charlotte spin-off series included a beautiful yet devastating love story between Brimsley and Reynolds that viewers fell in love with, but the main series has yet to bring a queer romance to the forefront of the show.

That now looks like it’s all about to change. In an new interview with Refinery29 Australia, Bridgerton showrunner Jess Brownell has confirmed that more queer love stories will be featured in future seasons.

Speaking ahead of the release of Bridgerton season 3, the show’s new showrunner Jess Brownell hinted that the main series will soon feature major queer characters and love stories.

“Yeah, absolutely,” she said to Refinery29 Australia. “I think this is a show about the many ways in which people love. So it only feels right to show all the ways in which people love, including queer love.”

“So we are exploring queer love stories across the next couple of seasons,” she added, referencing season 4 and season 5.

As expected, Jess was tight-lipped about which characters will be at the centre of those queer love stories. “I don’t want to say exactly how that plays out,” she added. “But it was important to me to foreground queer love and to tell queer stories and tell stories about queer joy as well.”

It’s unclear if the Bridgerton siblings themselves will be part of those queer love stories, or if other major characters within the story will bring those relationships to the forefront of the show.

Currently, there’s no confirmation about which Bridgerton siblings will be at the centre of seasons 4 and 5.

Benedict’s story, which is featured in the third Julia Quinn book, was pushed back in order to let his character have more space to develop and have fun before settling down. Eloise is the focus of Book 5, while Francesca is the focus of Book 6.

Coincidentally, fans have speculated that both Benedict and Eloise might not be straight in the TV series. Some have argued that they both appear to be “heavily queer-coded”.

In season 1, Benedict’s sexuality was brought into the conversation after a sexual tension-filled encounter at an alternative sex party with another man. Similarly, Eloise’s ‘odd-one-out’ role in the family, and lack of interest in men and the marriage market, has led fans to theorise about her sexuality.

However, in the show, both Benedict and Eloise have only made notable connections with members of the opposite sex. In the original books, they both end up married; Benedict to Sophie Beckett, and Eloise to Sir Phillip.

That said, Julia Quinn herself has embraced the idea of having a queer main character featured in the series. “I love it. There is a gay character, Henry Granville [in the books], but secondary. It would be great if there were a protagonist,” she told Cosmopolitan Spain in January 2023.

Stay tuned! Bridgerton season 3 Part 1 drops on May 16th, with Part 2 following on June 13th.