As Bridgerton season 2 nears its premiere, series star Nicola Coughlan says the first episode is “f—cking brilliant.” Bridgerton, the Netflix series based on Julia Quinn’s historical romance novels, is one of the service’s most successful original series. Each of the eight novels follows a different Bridgerton child. Shonda Rhimes, the executive producer of the series, wants Bridgerton to have eight seasons to match the book series. The series follows the high society Bridgerton family and their romantic escapades. All the while, a mysterious newsletter written by Lady Whistledown reports on the events and gossip of the season.

Coughlan stars as Penelope Featherington, a friend to Eloise Bridgerton (Claudia Jessie), who is revealed to be the mysterious Lady Whistledown. Coughlan, an Ireland native, has been a primary source in all things Bridgerton, having released information about the season 2 finale and alerted fans that the season finished filming in late October. Penelope quickly became a fan favorite and the role garnered Coughlan much acclaim including a nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Drama from the Irish Film and Television Awards.

Now, Coughlan has once again kept Bridgerton audiences in the loop on the series’ second season with an Instagram post that reveals she has seen the first episode, saying, “spoiler-it’s f—cking brilliant.“ The post includes a group photo with Coughlan to the right. Johnathan Bailey and Luke Thompson, who play the eldest Bridgerton sons Anthony and Benedict, also appear in the photo. See her full post below:

The first season, which premiered at the beginning of 2021, focuses on Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter, and her whirlwind romance with Duke Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). The second season is going to explore the romance between Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). This follows the progression of the book series. Coughlan will surely continue to be essential to the plot as Penelope continues to report as Lady Whistledown and as she, hopefully, works up to being the subject of a future season with her romance with Colin Bridgerton.

Many fans of the series were concerned about the direction the show would take after Page announced his departure. His role was central to the first season, and many remain concerned that without his return the series would fall flat. Coughlan’s reassurance that the series has not been impacted by Page’s exit or the continuing pandemic is welcome news. Bridgerton does not yet have a release date, but it is expected to be released on Netflix in 2022.

The first season, which premiered at the beginning of 2021, focuses on Daphne (Phoebe Dynevor), the eldest daughter, and her whirlwind romance with Duke Simon Basset (Regé-Jean Page). The second season is going to explore the romance between Anthony Bridgerton and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley). This follows the progression of the book series. Coughlan will surely continue to be essential to the plot as Penelope continues to report as Lady Whistledown and as she, hopefully, works up to being the subject of a future season with her romance with Colin Bridgerton.