The love scenes are something else this season.

Colin Bridgerton and Penelope Featherington standing in a sweet shop in Season 3, Episode 3

When it comes to Bridgerton’s intimate scenes, you and I both know how intense they can be (there’s a reason it’s considered one of Netflix’s sexually explicit projects). However, Bridgerton’s showrunner, Jess Brownell, talked about the difference between the intimacy scenes in Season 3 of the show versus the other seasons, and that while ‘torture and longing’ is fun, there’s a lot more to making a love story like Penelope and Colin’s.

Bridgerton Season 3 released its first part on the 2024 TV schedule in May, and while we are still anxiously awaiting part two, fans have been loving every second of it. From the main couple of Season 3 to the other relationships that have formed – like the adorable Francesca and John Stirling or Violet and Lord Marcus Anderson – Season 3 has something for everyone.

However, the intimate scenes in the regency romance’s junior season are meant to be different, mainly because of Colin and Penelope’s years-long friendship. I spoke with showrunner Jess Brownell regarding the change in tone for these two when it came to the intimate scenes, and she said that the main difference is ‘laughter,’ something we haven’t seen as much:

We have a fabulous intimacy coordinator named Lizzy Talbot who does rehearsals with them, and everything is led by what the actors are comfortable with, and the scene itself is a scene that’s grounded in joy and grounded in deep friendship and care and love. So it is the kind of scene that I understand why they were able to get to a comfortable place with it…. there’s a lot of laughter between them this season – which I love a bit of torture and a bit of longing and that’s still there, but portraying a relationship where two people can laugh together a lot – I think is a nice example to put on TV.

Considering the sheer number of Bridgerton characters and relationships, it’s hard to keep up with the nuances of each sometimes. However, a common denominator among them all is longing.

Both Daphne and Simon’s story, as well as the classic enemies-to-lovers tale of Anthony and Kate, revolved around the idea of wanting what you can’t have – and Brownell says that it’s still there a bit in Season 3. It’s just not who you expect it to be:

There’s still a bit of longing there. I think, especially once – I mean Pen’s been longing for Colin for a really long time. This is the first season that Colin starts to be the one in the longing role, which is a nice flip.

So, Colin and Pen’s story is totally different from the first two seasons, especially when it comes to the laughter involved. However, the longing is similar, especially once Colin falls hard and fast for his friend.

The intimacy scenes in Bridgerton have always been grounded in the relationships that they revolve around, and Brownell attributed that to their intimacy coordinator, Lizzy Talbot, and how she approaches the scene almost as if it’s a “stunt:”

Lizzy Talbot’s been with us from Season 1 doing intimacy coordinating, and I think she really approaches it as if it’s a stunt, which it is. It should be treated as such. I think in terms of choreographing every move, making sure to understand what the actor’s comfort level is. So I think by this point we’ve really got our routine down and know how to create a really comfortable and professional environment for the actors. We try to really ground it in the storytelling. I think the moments where the sex scenes, you kind of go, ‘eww,’ are when they are put in gratuitously, but we try to really earn them, and we try to develop the characters and show character growth within the intimacy scene.

With the multitude of relationships blooming in Season 3, it’s no wonder that intimacy is treated with such delicacy and nuance. While we wait for the Bridgerton Season 3 split to end and for the second part to arrive, it’s undeniably fueling my anticipation to witness the evolution of these relationships.

The prospect of more heartwarming rom-com moments is something I, and I’m sure many of you, are eagerly looking forward to – and to not get as annoyed at Colin this time around. Plus, it will be fun to see Colin and Pen’s relationship flourish and develop through love and laughter.