'Bridgerton' showrunner explains why season 3 skips ahead to Penelope and Colin's story, and it's great news for Benedict lovers

• Season three of "Bridgerton" will digress from the book series to focus on Colin and Penelope.
• In Julia Quinn's novels, the third book is about Benedict Bridgerton.

"Bridgerton" season three diverges from the order of Julia Quinn's novels in favor of getting to Colin Bridgerton (Luke Newton) and Penelope Featherington's (Nicola Coughlan) love story, and the decision will likely pay off for fans of Benedict Bridgerton (Luke Thompson) in the long run.

"We've spent two seasons really getting to know Pen and Colin," showrunner Jess Brownell told Entertainment Weekly. "We've been watching Pen's crush and seeing how oblivious Colin is to it. That's a dynamic that you can only play out for so long before something has to change."

"This really felt like the right time to lean into what's been set up with them," Brownell added.

Netflix's "Bridgerton" previously followed the order of Quinn's novels, with each season structured around a different member of the titular family.

Season one followed Daphne Bridgerton (Phoebe Dynevor) and Simon Basset's (Regé-Jean Page) fiery romance, while season two focused on the slow burn of enemies-to-lovers Anthony Bridgerton (Jonathan Bailey) and Kate Sharma (Simone Ashley).

It would make sense then for season three to be modeled after the third book, "An Offer From a Gentleman," which tells Benedict's love story. However, the show will take creative liberties and pivot to Colin and Penelope's relationship instead, adapting the fourth book, "Romancing Mister Bridgerton."

The previous seasons of "Bridgerton" showed Colin and Penelope as longtime best friends, with the third Bridgerton son clueless to Penelope's yearning.

Colin repeatedly friendzones Penelope, particularly on the season two finale when she overhears him telling some friends that he would "never dream" of courting her.

Meanwhile, Benedict spent season two exploring his creative side at the Royal Academy of Art.

When "Bridgerton" returns next spring, the roles will be flipped, with Penelope abandoning her crush on Colin while he develops romantic feelings for her and tries to win her back. With season three concentrating on them, Benedict's arc will probably build up in the background — making it all the more gratifying when he eventually gets the main character treatment.

"Bridgerton" is already confirmed to return for a fourth season, but it's unclear who the season will focus on. Given the show's trajectory, it's likely that Benedict will get his due spotlight then.

"He's such a fun character and such a fan favorite that we are really excited to play with him for a little bit more and let him have more fun before he settles down," Brownell told EW of his season three journey.

When asked for further details on what Benedict will experience next season, the showrunner gave a vague response.

"The thing about Benedict is that he's a very passionate person, but he is also rather impulsive, which makes him a really fun character to write for because his story is always a bit less linear than other characters," she said. "He bounces around a bit. All I can really say is that we'll see him bouncing around a bit more this season."

Part one of "Bridgerton" season three will hit Netflix on May 16, followed by part two on June 13.