There has been much murmuring among fans about whether Netflix's hit "Bridgeman" will lean into Benedict Bridgerton's (Luke Thompson) more progressive sensibilities and give him LGBTQ+ treatment on the show However, "Bridgerton" Season 3 chose to skip Benedict's story for the friends-to-lovers relationship between his brother Colin (Luke Newton) and Penelope Fetherington (Nicola Coughlan), so viewers are wondering if a queer love story will be depicted in "Ton" It is understandable to wonder whether or not

In the "Bridgerton" world, queer romance was depicted in the spin-off series "Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story" between Reynolds and Brimsley Of course, there is LGBT representation among the cast, especially in season 2, where the lead actor, Jonathan Bailey, has revealed that he is gay in real life However, the original "Bridgerton" series has lacked on-screen queer love for the past two seasons, and new showrunner Jess Brownell, who took over this season from creator Chris Van Dusen, hopes to remedy this shortcoming in future episodes

In a recent interview with Pridecom, Brownell affirmed that queer inclusion is a top creative priority now that she has taken over as showrunner 'This is a show about love in its many forms, and I think it's only natural that we foreground queer love and tell queer stories I want to see more queer joy on screen, and that was definitely a priority for me when I stepped into the role of showrunner"

However, Brownell did not say whether those impending queer stories would be centered around already existing characters like Benedict, or instead around personalities that have yet to appear She added, "I can't say exactly how that will play out in this season and the next few seasons, but I can say that fans are looking forward to seeing it"

And the cast of "Bridgeman" is similarly excited about the prospect of increased LGBTQ+ representation in the period drama, which is already anachronistically progressive on issues like race and feminism Nicola Coughlan, who will be in the spotlight this season as the lead character Penelope Fetherington, told the magazine that she is "eager" to see more queer inclusion on the show

"I can't wait I think it's going to be so beautiful," the actress told Pride The great thing about Bridgerton is that it's a fictional world that doesn't really exist It's Regency London and we wear crazy bright colors and there's really diverse, glittery eyeshadows So I think there is a lot of space there for queer love stories, and I think all love stories should be celebrated"

The third season of "Bridgerton" will be in two parts, with the first four episodes to be released on Thursday, May 16, followed by the final four episodes on Thursday, June 13 Brownell previously teased that it will be clear to those who have watched season three which Bridgerton sibling will be the focus of the already green-lit fourth season, and it remains to be seen whether it will be Benedict Bridgerton and whether a queer relationship will be depicted in the same season

Tom's Guide will keep you updated on future episodes, but until then, you can rewatch the first two seasons of "Bridgerton" on Netflix