Bridgerton’s Season 3 Finale Complicated Julie Andrews’ Return

Spoilers ahead for Bridgerton Season 3. The Dankforth-Finch ball delivered the height of Bridgerton drama. There was ostentatious decor, a surprise butterfly release, and, most importantly, an unexpected visit by the queen, who was there solely to unmask and pass judgment on Lady Whistledown. Needless to say, Season 3 went out with a bang — but it also complicated the future of one of its most iconic characters.

The Voice Of The Show

For three seasons, Julie Andrews has been the voice of Lady Whistledown. She was a staple of the series long before viewers ever learned the gossip writer’s identity. However, in the Season 3 finale, Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) stood in front of the ton and admitted she’s been the one sharing their secrets all along. Once outed, there was no longer a reason to hide her voice. The last moments of the finale let Penelope take over the narration of her final Lady Whistledown society paper of the season.

So, does that mean Andrews won’t be back for Bridgerton Season 4? It’s complicated, according to showrunner Jess Brownell.

“It’s really a tough question because dramatically it would make sense to switch over to Nicola’s voice from now on because she’s owning her own voice,” Brownell told The Los Angeles Times in an interview published on June 13. “But it’s also freaking Julie Andrews. Her voice is so key to the feeling of the show.”

Time To Problem-Solve

As of now, Brownell hasn’t figured out how to solve the problem, but she seems determined to bring Andrews back. “We’re playing around with it in Season 4,” she said. “To be honest, we don’t know exactly what we’re going to do, but I think there’s a way to square that.”

Brownell told TheWrap she’s “obsessed” with Andrews and reiterated she wants to keep her around. “I would hate to lose her from the show,” she said.

Her comments should reassure gentle readers who began worrying about Andrews’ Bridgerton fate after the season finale twist. “Does this mean no more julie andrews? pls say no,” one tweeted.

Coughlan is probably also pulling for her iconic colleague. “Technically, I job-share with Julie Andrews,” she told Seth Meyers on Late Night in May. She joked she tells people, “Me and Julie, we split the work.”

A longer-than-usual gap between Bridgerton installments is expected ahead of Season 4, so Brownell and the writers should have plenty of time to come up with a way to keep Andrews on the show.