Bridgerton Season 3 Music Supervisors, Composer & Choreographer On Unleashing Colin's "Inner Tiger"

Summary Bridgerton will delve into the friends-to-lovers plotline between Penelope and Colin in season 3.

Season 3 deviates from the novel by jumping to the fourth book, creating a fresh storyline that keeps viewers guessing.

The new season features new showrunner Jess Brownell, but maintains the iconic blend of classic and pop music.

Season 3 of Bridgerton arrives on May 16, and fans of the hit Netflix show are already anticipating the love story of second son Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and so-called spinster Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan). The trailer for Bridgerton season 3 reveals the start of their friends-to-lovers plotline: Penelope realizes she must stop being a wallflower to find a husband, and Colin is the perfect man to teach her the ways of courtship.

Though the series is based on Julia Quinn's novels, season 3 is flipping the script by skipping to the fourth Bridgerton book, Romancing Mister Bridgerton. Such a shift creates a ripple effect that has left viewers blind to the plotlines contained in the next 8 episodes. Furthermore, the new season also comes with a new showrunner, as Jess Brownell takes over for Chris Van Dusen. But one shining bastion of continuity for Bridgerton enthusiasts to cling to is the music, which remains the same iconic storytelling blend of classic instrumentals and romantic pop songs.

Related Bridgerton's Secret Costume Color Meanings Explained Netflix's Bridgerton is a show full of beautiful and elaborate costumes, with colors that often tell surprising stories all on their own.

Screen Rant interviewed composer Kris Bowers, choreographer Jack Murphy, music supervisor Justin Kamps, and on-camera music supervisor Sarah Bridge about the ins and outs of Bridgerton season 3. They shared how the music was influenced by Penelope and Colin's romance and individual arcs, how much work went into the Ton's current crop of balls, and which song sets the tone for the season.

How Penelope’s Story Shapes Bridgerton Season 3’s Music

Image via Netflix

Screen Rant: Justin and Sarah, how much would you say the leading couple of the season shape or dictate the music choices being made for the show? When selecting songs, are you going for the lyrics though we can't hear them, the pure melody, or the vibes?

Justin Kamps: I would say it's a combination of both. We look at the two romantic leads for the season and see where that story is going and what themes are included in their romance. Then we take that to the songs that we're looking at for the covers and think, "What lyric themes can we play with?" But it's also like you said, "What are the vibes?" What emotions are the strings themselves bringing out for each sequence? The characters and story we're dealing with each season is definitely reflected in the songs that we look at for sure.

Penelope is really stepping into her own this season, learning to ask for what she wants and trying to seize independence however she can. Kris, how is that reflected in your compositions for the season?

Kris Bowers: This season, it was fun to develop a theme for Pen by herself. There is a theme that she has as Lady Whistledown, and then Pen has a theme that's in moments where she's trying to evade being discovered as Lady Whistledown. But this season, she has her own theme, which continues to blossom and flourish as she steps into that power. That's also different from the theme between her and Colin, so it was nice to give her a special musical thematic piece that grows throughout the season.

Dancing To The Tune Of Bridgerton Balls

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Balls are always a big to-do in Bridgerton, and you seem to be topping yourselves in season 3. Jack, how do you approach matching the dances to the themes of each ball?

Jack Murphy: Well, my main responsibility is that we're working in the world of drama and not in the world of dance. I have to continue the integrity of the piece, and all the dancing is social dancing. Therefore, it is led and followed, and it is to have pleasure. If I were to ask you to dance, I'd be dancing with you to have pleasure rather than give pleasure to an audience. That runs as a theme all the way through, including in Queen Charlotte. The situation of the dancers comes from the script. I read the script first and learn the circumstances, so I look first to see if any actors have to speak. My approach is practical because of the length of time I get with the actors, so any of the dances that you see with actors in the first four episodes that we're speaking about, I'm likely to have seen them only three times. A great percentage of my contact with actors is to teach, so I have to prioritize in relation to Tempo. Since season 2, I've always been sent this fantastic catalog of covers by Sarah and Justin. We know that we want to work on reels and jigs, but because it's Bridgeton, I also include tangos, cha-chas, and sambas because we break rules. It's fantastic, and I just style it out. According to the circumstances of the character and the scene, I choose a rhythm.

Sarah, is there a ball or other large set piece where you had the most fun with the music, or which you found the most challenging to work on?

Sarah Bridge: Good question. The Full Moon Ball was pretty spectacular at kicking the season off. A lot of my role is more of the on-camera aspect of it, so I am the girl on the ground, working very closely with the art department and Jack as the choreographer. But I also work with Justin on getting musical ideas, and also obviously the showrunner and directors. It's a bit of hiring the players and getting everyone set up, then transcribing sheet music for players if it's a contemporary song for musicians on camera. I do all the arrangements for piano arrangements and book all the piano coaching lessons, like for Francesca, and I oversee that side of things. I think the balls are always the big fun parts. In previous seasons, we've hired opera singers to perform, and I oversee the prerecords here in the UK of anything like that. They're always big, fun pieces to be doing from my side.

New Character Arcs And Creators In Bridgerton Season 3

Francesca Bridgerton also steps into her own this season, and she's a music lover herself. What considerations go into the music for her or the music surrounding her scenes?

Justin Kamps: She is known for her piano playing, so there was a lot of discussion about what piece she would be playing here at this moment, or what piece would really showcase her skills. There was a lot of that consideration going on in the scenes where she's playing piano. Jack Murphy: To contradict myself, Hannah Dodds can dance. There was no teaching, I can tell you that, and therefore I took a lot of advantage of that.

Even though Jess [Brownell] has been part of Shondaland for a while, this is her first time running the show at Bridgeton. What was your favorite thing about her vision for the season, and what stood out to you most about her showrunning style?

Kris Bowers: I think what I enjoyed is how much she was unafraid to speak up in moments where she wanted to make sure that her vision of what this needed to be was being heard and upheld. I think that she obviously knew how much she was stepping into a world that's been established, especially on the music side, and it was really great to see moments in all of our spotting sessions where she was receiving advice from the other producers on how something should happen. Of course, there were moments where she was really vehement about something being handled in a specific way, but I really appreciated her malleability. Not only was she open to stepping into this role on a team that's already been moving pretty quickly over the last couple of seasons, but she also wasn't afraid to step in and make sure that her vision was being heard. Jack Murphy: I have to say the management of the transition from Chris, who's an absolute genius, to Jess was absolutely spot on. Jess was on set, and the way it was handed over was fantastic; with great sensitivity and with great respect to all. Of course, you have to point out that a man has written the first two seasons, and now a woman is writing the next season. If you can't see the difference, then there's a problem — and there is a difference. It's wonderfully feminine, and it is fantastically witty. That's not to say it wasn't witty in seasons 1 and 2, but Jess brings her own voice. But as a boss? Well, she brought a new broom, but she kept me in the room. So, I'm very grateful to her. [Laughs] Justin Kamps: I just felt like she brought a great new energy and a lot of excitement to the season, and she was so much fun to work with. I would send off a new group of covers, and she would email back immediately being like, "Oh my gosh, this one is so amazing. We have to find a spot for it." Those were some fun moments with her. I think Jack is spot on. There are a lot more of these witty, comedic moments this season that I think she brought to the show. It's really fun. Jack Murphy: She's a great nurturer with her creatives. I felt very confident, and I felt I had a really good breath through season 3. It felt new, and that's where it has to go. We can't just get comfortable with it because it's successful, and I felt she nurtured the open communication onset and offset. Actually, the personal support that I had from her through season 3 was just platinum. Absolutely platinum. Sarah Bridge: I echo the comments about the wit and comedic elements of season 3, which felt like a new injection of fun. Jack called it bringing this new voice and new energy, which I think felt quite palpable. We also went through during the pandemic, particularly doing all the on-set stuff, so this season felt quite different. We started off season 1 as such a family, and it has remained a family. I think the incredible thing about Bridgeton as a whole is the people on the ground and on the camera side of things. Through the filming, so much of the crew has remained the same, and I think that's a testament to the top creative tier as well.

Colin Bridgerton Steps Into The Romantic Lead Spotlight In Season 3

Image via Netflix

One of the most fun aspects of each Bridgerton season is seeing the respective sibling step into the light. How did you each contribute to Colin's male lead glow-up?

Kris Bowers: It was a lot of fun, especially when we're first introduced to him musically and reintroduced to who he is this season. His theme has a lot of swagger to it, and it reflects how he sees himself after his travels. We have the music start off reflecting how he's presenting himself, and then over the course of the season, we start to see what's happening underneath and see how he's actually the one who starts to develop these complex feelings. Then his theme adapts with that as well, but it was a lot of fun to give him a more confident sound that wasn't there in his past scores. Jack Murphy: [Director] Tricia Brock asked me to do a movement session with Luke before he started filming, and we worked on his inner tiger. He'd been swimming, and he is physically a very brilliant actor, so I asked him to work on the moments we first see him. The salt of the Mediterranean is still on his skin, and he likes that, so he's now sensorial. He's had experiences whilst being on the Greek islands, and we want to see that in his swagger, as Kris quite rightly says. I wanted to see it in his prowl, which we had fun doing.

What's one song that should be on our Polin playlists for season 3? Whether it made it into the show or not.

Justin Kamps: I've always loved this song called "Everything You Want" by Vertical Horizon, which has a kind of friends-to-lovers theme to it a little bit. That's the storyline we're going with this season, and that was one that I was playing a bunch when we were working on season 3.

About Bridgerton Season 3

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Bridgerton is back for its third season and finds Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan) has finally given up on her long-held crush on Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) after hearing his disparaging words about her last season. She has, however, decided it’s time to take a husband, preferably one who will provide her with enough independence to continue her double life as Lady Whistledown, far away from her mother and sisters. But lacking in confidence, Penelope’s attempts on the marriage mart fail spectacularly. Meanwhile, Colin has returned from his summer travels with a new look and a serious sense of swagger. But he’s disheartened to realize that Penelope, the one person who always appreciated him as he was, is giving him the cold shoulder.

Eager to win back her friendship, Colin offers to mentor Penelope in the ways of confidence to help her find a husband this season. But when his lessons start working a little too well, Colin must grapple with whether his feelings for Penelope are truly just friendly. Complicating matters for Penelope is her rift with Eloise (Claudia Jessie), who has found a new friend in a very unlikely place, while Penelope’s growing presence in the ton makes it all the more difficult to keep her Lady Whistledown alter ego a secret.

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Bridgerton season 3, part 1 arrives May 16 on Netflix.