Who Is Each Bridgerton's Endgame In The Book Series vs The Show?

The third season of Shondaland's Bridgerton is slowly approaching its long-awaited premiere on May 16, and fans can't wait to find out who will get their happily ever after next.

The show follows the one-romance-per-season format used by Julia Quinn in her Bridgerton book series, the source of the Netflix project. Each of the eight bestselling novels revolves around a new Bridgerton sibling and their love story, and the show is set to repeat that streak. Creator Shonda Rhimes previously said she has plans for an eight-season adaptation.

'There are eight Bridgerton siblings, and as far as I'm concerned, there are eight 'Bridgerton' seasons. And maybe more,' she told Variety in 2021.

So, if things go right (by right, we mean no more two-plus year hiatuses and Netflix greenlighting four more seasons), Bridgerton fans could be in for six more suspenseful, romance-filled, bodice-ripping stories over the next decade or so.

If you don't want to wait that long to find out who each character ends up with, and are not ready to dive into Julia Quinn's book series just yet, we've prepared a spoiler-packed ultimate guide to all the major Bridgerton couples.

Daphne & Simon

Book 1: The Duke and I

Both the novel and on-screen history of the titular family begins with Daphne's debut in society and her fake courtship with the Duke of Hastings, Simon Basset. The first season doesn't deviate too much from the source material.

The characters of Phoebe Dynevor and Regé-Jean Page get their marriage off to a rocky start. They are essentially forced to marry after being caught kissing, and have to work through a major disagreement about having children. But in the end, happiness settles in at Clyvedon Castle.

Anthony & Kate

Book 2: The Viscount Who Loved Me

Like in the book, Jonathan Bailey's Anthony starts out as this cold man who won't get attached to anyone, and like in the book, he falls in love with a sharp-witted girl named Kate (Simone Ashley).

In the show, Kate's last name was changed from Sheffield to Sharma to reflect her new cultural background. Also, the entire love story was changed to include a love triangle with Kate's sister Edwina, which was a controversial decision for many Quinn's readers.

Benedict & Sophie

Book 3: An Offer from a Gentleman

The second Bridgerton, played by Luke Thompson, hasn't found his happiness on screen yet and will have to sit out at least one season since his turn was taken by the younger brother. However, we might see him start to get there in the upcoming episodes.

In the book, Benedict meets a mysterious girl in silver at his mother's masquerade. It's love at first sight, but the girl disappears Cinderella-style. For the next two years, Benedict searches everywhere for her, only to find out that she was always his friend's maid, an earl's illegitimate daughter, Sophie Beckett.

So if Benedict is going to lead Season 4, we are probably going to meet Sophie as a masked girl as early as Season 3.

Colin & Penelope

Book 4: Romancing Mister Bridgerton

Every Netflix viewer already knows that Bridgerton Season 3 will revolve around the friends-to-lovers romance of Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington (Nicola Coughlan).

The biggest changes from the book are the timeline of the affair (the novel characters are eight years older than their on-screen counterparts) and the role of Penelope's secret identity, Lady Whistledown. While Whistledown's drama is not that extreme on paper, the show's creators will have to think hard to provide a satisfying resolution.

Other than that, the cast and crew assure that the upcoming story will have many twists and turns familiar to Quinn's readers.

Eloise & Phillip

Book 5: To Sir Phillip, With Love

Those who have never read the Bridgerton books will be surprised to learn that we've already met Eloise's (Claudia Jessie) ultimate love interest. And it's not Theo. In fact, the future husband has been lurking in the background since Season 1.

That's Chris Fulton's Sir Philip Crane, the man who saved Marina Thompson's reputation and took her as his wife. In the book, Marina dies and Eloise writes her widower a letter of condolence. Next thing you know, they are pen pals and fall in love.

Francesca & Michael

Book 6: When He Was Wicked

The sixth Bridgerton has just been cast (Hannah Dodd replaced Ruby Stokes), but it looks like the girl's story will start already in the upcoming chapter. According to the book, Fran marries for love in her debut year.

Her husband is an Earl, John Stirling. But he is not the endgame. Devastatingly, after two years of happy marriage, John dies. Francesca is left to hibernate in her grief. But four years later she reunited with John's cousin Michael Stirling, who has been fighting his feelings for her for years, and their second chance romance begins.

Hyacinth & Gareth

Book 7: It's In His Kiss

If you are a fan of Lady Danbury, rejoice. She will definitely be a part of Season 7 if it is greenlit. The reason is that Florence Hunt's Hyacinth is going to marry Lady Danbury's grandson, Gareth St. Clair.

With his charming personality and handsome face, Gareth is quite the ladies' man, but Hyacinth stands out from the crowd and steals his heart. The couple is drawn together by the mystery of an old family diary.

Gregory & Lucy

Book 8: On the Way to the Wedding

It's hard to imagine Will Tilston's character as a season lead today, but by Season 8, both the actor and his character will be old enough to have Gregory's book story adapted (we're probably looking at the 2030s premiere at the current rate of production). The story is similar to Colin and Penelope's.

Gregory is attracted to a girl and asks his friend Lucy Abernathy, an earl's daughter, to help him woo her. But in the process, Gregory comes to realize that it is Lucy whom he desires, and he sets out to win her hand in marriage. Even her engagement can't stop this stubborn and slightly chaotic man.

Will the Netflix show stick with the canon couples?

The biggest question, of course, is whether the Shondaland creators will change the endgame couples.

So far, we see the Bridgerton siblings repeating their book arcs. There are some variations, but the ending is always the same. And book fans hope it stays that way for the rest of the series. However, there's another part of the fandom that wants to see at least one Bridgerton portrayed as queer.

There are unconfirmed rumors that when Julia Quinn signed the deal, she asked that the canon couple be left untouched. But in official interviews, the author has said that she relinquished all creative control of her story to Shonda Rhimes.

So it looks like anything is possible in Shondaland's Bridgerverse. But if we had to bet on it, we'd say that changing the main characters, some of whom are literally mentioned in the book titles, doesn't make sense for the show. What are your thoughts?

Source: Variety.