The show has never tampered with the books’ main relationships, but perhaps that time has come.

It is no secret that Netflix’s hit show Bridgerton hails from a series of Regency-inspired romance novels written by prolific author Julia Quinn. Season 1 is based on the first novel of the Bridgerton siblings’ saga, The Duke and I, while Season 2 is based on the second book, The Viscount Who Loved Me. Season 3, which recently released its first four episodes, depicts the events described in the fourth book. However, viewers who want to continue their journey across the Bridgerton universe through the pages of Romancing Mister Bridgerton might find themselves missing some key elements from the story that they have come to love so much. From Mondrich’s (Martin Imhangbe) arrival in high society to Eloise’s (Claudia Jessie) friendship with Cressida Cowper (Jessica Madsen) to the entire existence of Lord Debling (Sam Phillips), many plot points in the show’s third season are completely absent from the book. And the changes don’t stop there. Seasons 1 and 2 also added a number of new elements to the books’ plots and completely did away with others. For instance, did you know that Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor) was originally in her second season in The Duke and I, instead of debuting as a “diamond of the first water”?

While there’s no mistake in saying that Quinn’s work offered the blueprint for a magnificent television series, it is also pretty safe to assume that Bridgerton only became the phenomenon that it is due to the many changes made by showrunners Chris Van Dusen and Jess Brownell to the source material. Like guests in a ballroom, some of these changes immediately catch our eyes, while others stand in the background, nearly unnoticeable and probably overhearing some juicy, Whistledown-worthy gossip. This begs a very important question, though: how many changes are too many for an adaptation? How much is the show entitled to tweak for its own purposes? With at least five more seasons in store, one for each remaining Bridgerton sibling, should the show go even deeper in its attempts to craft its own story out of something made by another creator?

How Much Has ‘Bridgerton’ Changed from the Novels So Far?

Perhaps it is best to start this discussion by making it clear that Bridgerton has never once altered a main couple from a Julia Quinn novel. The show’s three seasons have featured romances that were already there in the books. However, some details may vary. In Daphne’s case, there’s the whole being on her second season thing, but there’s also a significant alteration to a particularly problematic scene: the one in which she forces Simon (Regé-Jean Page) to have sex with her without pulling out. In the novel, this moment that can honestly only be described as rape is made even worse by the fact that Simon is also nearly blackout drunk. In The Viscount Who Loved Me, Edwina (Charithra Chandran) is utterly in love with Anthony (Jonathan Bailey), while, in the show, her sister Kate (Simone Ashley) repeatedly worries that she might not be marrying out of love. If we were strictly following the order of the books, we would be watching Benedict’s (Luke Thompson) story by now, but the team behind the show opted to put Colin first.

Still, all of these love stories can be found in Quinn’s pages, albeit with slightly different details. The same, however, can not be said about the affair between Anthony and Siena (Sabrina Bartlet) in Season 1, or Eloise’s crush on printer’s apprentice Theo Sharpe (Calam Lynch) in Season 2, or even Benedict’s current fling with Lady Tilley Arnold (Hannah New). While the main gist of the story has always remained the same, Van Dusen and Brownell have populated the Bridgerton world with a myriad of characters and romance, making it feel not only more fleshed out but also more enticing.

This version of Regency England is also much more diverse, which is essential for a show that is much more about the fantasy of falling in love in a pretty world than it is about historical accuracy. Sure, Bridgerton and its sister show, Queen Charlotte, might not always know how to deal with the topic of race, but populating the series’ universe with Black and brown characters is definitely a choice to be commended. Those who choose to go from the show to Quinn’s books will find a much whiter London than the one they originally signed up for.

Likewise, Quinn’s original version of the Regency period is much more able-bodied and adherent to beauty standards, even though the show can’t exactly claim that it is going the distance when it comes to portraying characters that break our society’s rigid mold. But, hey, at least Penelope’s weight isn’t a factor anymore in the show, and at least Season 3 has given us some background characters with disabilities: there’s an unnamed Deaf woman at Queen Charlotte’s ceremony, and Lord Remington (Zak Ford-Williams) is visibly in a wheelchair when he asks to call on Penelope. If we subscribe to the theory that’s been making the rounds about Francesca (Hannah Dodd) being autistic, there’s even some neurodivergence going on.

So Far, All the ‘Bridgerton’ Changes Have Been for the Better

All of this goes to show that Bridgerton has a lot of good reasons to diverge from its source material when translating it to the screen. As current showrunner Jess Brownell told Vanity Fair, “TV is a different medium, we have to fill in the plot a bit more and create more turns and twists.” And, so far, all of these changes have been for the best. However, some recent developments have left us wondering how far Brownell or any other future showrunner will be willing to go when it comes to making changes to the books.

Is it time for Bridgerton to start meddling with the novels’ main romances? Colin and Penelope seem pretty much endgame: although the whole thing about Colin hating Lady Whistledown (voiced by Julie Andrews) is original for the show, with the Whistledown from the books remaining pretty much out of Bridgerton affairs, there is no doubt that he will find a way to forgive his beloved for her wrongdoings by the end of the season. But what about Francesca and Lord John Stirling (Victor Alli)? Are they truly doomed by the narrative, or will the show find a way to keep them together? Should the show find a way to keep them together?

Will ‘Bridgerton’ Feature Its Own Queer Romance?

Ever since its first season, Bridgerton has also shown signs of being a queer-friendly show and has garnered a massive queer audience. Alas, such signs have remained only that: signs. Things changed a bit when Queen Charlotte dropped. Suddenly, we had young Brimsley’s (Sam Clemmett) long-lasting romance with Reynolds (Freddie Dennis). Now, should Bridgerton also feature its own queer romance? Brownell has demonstrated a serious inclination to depict more along those lines. Speaking with Pride, the new showrunner has stated, “This is a show about love in its many forms and I think that it’s only right for us to foreground queer love and to tell queer stories. I want to see more queer joy on my screens and that was definitely a priority for me when I stepped into the showrunner role.”

Since she has not yet divulged how these queer stories will play out on screen, fans are letting their imaginations run loose. From Violet Bridgerton (Ruth Gemmell) to Queen Charlotte herself, everyone is game. There is no doubt, though, that a queer protagonist would be much more impactful than a background character, so perhaps it’s time for the show to diverge a little more from the books in that respect. Changes wouldn’t even have to be too drastic: Francesca could fall in love with Michaela instead of Michael Stirling after John’s passing, or maybe Benedict could have his Cinderella story with a man. Perhaps one of the Bridgertons’ love interests could be revealed to be trans.

One might argue by saying that Bridgerton is too much of a straight book series to have a queer protagonist, but it was once an entirely white story as well. And while Regency England was certainly not a queer-friendly time and place, it was also a lot more racist than Bridgerton suggests. If they could change one of these elements, why not the other? Furthermore, if they want to keep queer people at the margins of society for some reason, Brimsley and Reynolds have already proven that this is not a barrier to true romance.

It’s time for Bridgerton to diverge even further from its source material — not to make changes from plotlines that already seem to be in motion, such as making Francesca live happily ever after with John, no matter how much we wish that was the case. No, it’s time for Bridgerton to change by making its universe more diverse and welcoming. It’s time for Bridgerton to have a queer lead. In other words, it’s time for it to double down on what it has already been doing for three seasons now.

Bridgerton Season 3 Part 1 is available to stream on Netflix in the U.S.