Bridgerton Season 2: Trailer, Release Date, Cast, and Everything Else to Know

The first season of Netflix's steamy period drama Bridgerton ended with Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset's (Regé-Jean Page) happily ever after, and in just a few short weeks we'll be back in the Ton to watch a new romance blossom. Bridgerton Season 2 premieres in March and follows a different Bridgerton sibling, and we'll be keeping our eyes glued to every report from Lady Whistledown to follow the developments of their quest to find a partner.

The Shonda Rhimes-produced show, which has been renewed through Season 4, is based on Julia Quinn's bestselling Bridgerton novels and has two spin-offs on the way. Bridgerton Season 2 will shift the focus to Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), Daphne's older brother, as he looks to find a wife to help him produce an heir for the Bridgerton family estate. The second season will be based on The Viscount Who Loved Me, the second novel in the series. In the book, Anthony finally decides it is time to settle down, but he refuses to fall in love due to his intense fear of dying young like his father and leaving a beloved wife behind. Luckily, fate has other plans for the surliest member of the Bridgerton family, who meets his match in a young woman named Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley), who is not in the mood for any of Anthony's games.

What can we expect in Bridgerton Season 2? Here is everything you need to know about the upcoming season. 

Trailer

Netflix dropped the official trailer for Bridgerton Season 2 on March 9. In one of its first moments, Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) states the main focus of this upcoming installment: "This is the season the viscount intends to find a wife," she says of her eldest son Anthony. Narration soon follows from Lady Whistledown herself (voiced by Julie Andrews, though we now know the character writing the gossip column is Penelope Featherington, played by Nicola Coughlan). She writes, "I cannot be the only one wondering if this former capital-R Rake is ready to flourish." 

The trailer also features plenty of the Sharma sisters, Kate and Edwina (Charithra Chandran). Edwina is looking for a partner who is charming and handsome, and the siblings appear to be entangled in a love triangle as Anthony shares scenes with both women. "Has this young lady truly won your heart? The one that makes it impossible for you to look away from them at any given moment?" Daphne asks her brother as the trailer shows Anthony with Edwina. It's fair to say we're anticipating some inner turmoil from our male lead this season.

Prior to the full trailer, Netflix released a teaser trailer in February that revealed Lady Whistledown is "sharpening her knives" for the Ton. More importantly, the narrated montage of Season 2 clips shows both Sharma sisters having some intense eye contact (and some candlelight kissing?) with Anthony. Plus there's a sword fight, cannon fire, and, of course, beautiful, beautiful balls.

Release Date

Bridgerton Season 2 will be released on Friday, March 25 on Netflix. 

Photos

On Jan. 19, Netflix dropped eight new photos for the upcoming season. They show newcomers Kate and her sister Edwina, and returning favorites including Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jesse), Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan), and Queen Charlotte (Golda Rosheuvel). Of course, there's plenty of Anthony — he's talking to Daphne in one photo and fencing with his brother Colin (Luke Newton) in another. But our favorite is obviously the image of him holding his new love interest, Kate.

The first official photos from Season 2 dropped on the Netflix Instagram account in September 2021, giving us a look at Kate and Edwina, as well as a handful of the Bridgerton clan at what we can only guess is one of the first balls of the season. 

Clips

The first footage from Season 2 was released during Netflix's global fan event TUDUM on Sept. 25, 2021. The clip introduced us to Kate and gave us the first taste of her and Anthony's enemies-to-lovers dynamic. The clip gave off serious Pride and Prejudice vibes.

"There's alot of arguing," Simone Ashley teased during the Bridgerton TUDUM panel. Jonathan Bailey added that the pair's relationship is "volatile" and "passionate." Bailey also confirmed that Anthony's sideburns are going to be significantly reduced in Season 2, thank goodness, and teased what's in store for Anthony's journey this season: "He gets to deal with a lot of things that I think hasn't been given space to deal with."

Casting 

Actor Regé-Jean Page, who played the Duke of Hastings, will not be returning for Season 2. A note from Lady Whistledown shared on the Bridgerton Instagram account confirmed that Page will not be available for filming Season 2 but will always be part of the Bridgerton family. The note did confirm that Dynevor will return as Daphne, a devoted wife and sister, who will help Anthony on his journey to love. However, book fans are acutely aware that this news will drastically alter the infamous Pall Mall scene.

Sex Education star Simone Ashley joins the cast of Bridgerton Season 2 as Kate Sharma. She is described as a "headstrong young woman who suffers no fools — Anthony Bridgerton very much included." In the second Bridgerton novel that will be the basis for the upcoming episodes, Anthony's love interest is named Kate Sheffield. The book's version of the character also suffers no fools, which means we shouldn't expect big changes in the dynamic between the two characters at the center of an enemies-to-lovers storyline, but with Ashley's casting, it's obvious that the creative team behind Bridgerton is committed to making this an inclusive romance that everyone can see themselves in.

In early April, Deadline reported that newcomer Charithra Chandran had been cast as Edwina Sharma, the younger sister of Kate, and the woman Anthony initially becomes interested in as a prospective wife. Chandran will be joined by Merlin star Rupert Young, who will play Jack, "a newcomer to the Ton with a connection to one of the most notorious families." The character of Jack was created for Season 2 and is not from the books, but we suspect he may have something to do with that Featherington family cliffhanger at the end of Season 1.

In May 2020, Charmed star Rupert Evans joined the cast of Bridgerton Season 2. He'll play Edmund Bridgerton, the family patriarch, and will presumably appear via flashbacks, as Edmund has already died in the present day.

As for the rest of the cast, Jonathan Bailey will obviously return, as will his Bridgerton siblings — Benedict (Luke Thompson), Colin, Eloise, Francesca (Ruby Stokes), Gregory (Wil Tilston), and Hyacinth (Florence Hunt). Penelope will also need to be present, as she has to report on all the gossip going down as her alter ego, Lady Whistledown. 

Everything Else to Know

Season 2 won't be the last season! On April 13, Vanity Fair reported that Bridgerton has been renewed for Seasons 3 and 4 ahead of the Season 2 premiere. "Bridgerton swept us off our feet," Bela Bajaria, Netflix's head of global TV, told the outlet. She added that Netflix plans to "be in the Bridgerton business for a long time to come."

Where to Watch

Bridgerton Season 1 is now streaming on Netflix.

Season 2 will be available on Netflix on Friday, March 25.